Eleanor Roosevelt

On June 16, 1958, Eleanor Roosevelt came to Clarksville High School and entered its doors to speak inside the gymnasium before a crowd of nearly 1000 people that included Supreme Court Justice Sherman Minton. She spoke at length on the dangers of Russian imperialism in the world of that era. Born in 1884 and dying in 1962, she was one of the most admired and influential people of the 20th century. As the longest serving First Lady from 1933 to 1945, she transformed the role into a platform for social activism. During World War II, she co-chaired the Civilian Defense, visited troops, and encouraged volunteerism. She advocated for the rights of women and African Americans, was appointed by President Truman to the U.N. and chaired the commission that established the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was appointed by President Kennedy to chair the Commission on the Status of Women, and was awarded one of the U.N.'s first Human Rights Prizes.

Clarksville, Indiana · United States