The Last Portrait
The Last Portrait
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) died in office on April 12, 1945, after serving thirteen years as President of the United States.
He died while sitting for a portrait at the ‘Little White House’ in Warm Springs, Georgia. The portrait remained unfinished and is on display where FDR died.
Little White House – Warm Springs, Georgia
In 1921, at the age of 39, FDR was struck by polio, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. FDR sought relief by swimming in the natural hot water of Warm Springs. He built a cottage there in 1932 while serving as Governor of New York. During his Presidency, FDR visited when he could, and the house became known as the Little White House.
Today the site is open to visitors as part of the Georgia State Park system. Two policy initiatives resulted from FDR’s residence in Georgia:
March of Dimes
To fight against polio, FDR created the ‘National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis,’ in 1938. According to the March of Dimes website, Comedian Eddie Cantor coined the phrase ‘March of Dimes’ to support fundraising efforts, suggesting everyone could at least contribute a dime. The fundraising program was a remarkable success, and the name stuck.
March of Dimes funds supported the development of the polio vaccine by Jonas Salk in the 1950s. Today the March of Dimes organization focuses on birth defects and healthy pregnancies.
Rural Electrification Administration
While visiting Warm Springs, FDR learned that few rural farmers had electricity. And for those that did, the cost was high. According to one story, FDR was shocked when he received his first electric bill in Warm Springs - quadruple the cost he was paying at his New York house.
In 1936, FDR signed the Rural Electrification Act. This act provided federal loans to install electric systems in rural areas. At the time, less than eleven percent of U.S. farms had electricity. However, by 1960, virtually all farms were electrified.
FDR’s Mistress and the Final Portrait
Lucy Mercer Rutherford - the Mistress
Lucy Mercer served as Eleanor Roosevelt’s secretary during World War I while FDR was assistant naval secretary. She and FDR had an affair during this time. After Eleanor fired her, FDR hired her into the Navy. Eleanor discovered the affair in 1918 – she found Lucy’s love letters in FDR’s suitcase. He promised to end the relationship. Teddy Roosevelt’s acerbic daughter, Alice (Eleanor’s cousin), is reputed to have said of the affair, “He deserved a good time. He was married to Eleanor.”
Lucy Mercer went on marry, and accounts vary, but FDR and Lucy appear to have remained in contact. During World War II, FDR’s daughter, Anna, arranged for Lucy to meet again with FDR. “They were occasions which I welcomed for my father,” Anna later recalled, “because they were lighthearted and gay, affording a few hours of much-needed relaxation.”
Lucy was present when FDR died on April 12, 1945 while FDR’s wife, Eleanor was not. Eleanor was unaware that Lucy and her husband were in contact with each other.
Elizabeth Shoumatoff - the Artist
Elizabeth Shoumatoff was born in Ukraine and immigrated to the United States after the 1917 Russian Revolution. She was a famous portrait artist who, among other patrons, painted the official portrait of President Lyndon Johnson.
Elizabeth Shoumatoff was friends with Lucy. In April 1945, Lucy arranged for the artist to visit FDR in the little White House and paint his portrait. On April 12, as Elizabeth worked on FDR’s painting, FDR slumped over and lost consciousness. Doctors declared him dead that afternoon. Mercer and Shoumatoff immediately left the cottage.
Elizabeth’s portrait of FDR was incomplete when he died. The unfinished portrait is displayed at FDR’s ‘Little White House.’ It is a look at the President moments before his passing. The strain of the office is apparent when you compare FDR’s appearance in 1945 to earlier years.
FDR is not the only President to have significantly aged while in office. Given the stress of the position, sometimes it’s a wonder so many aspire to be elected.
For a short video about the unfinished portrait - click here.