Final Days of President Franklin Roosevelt

President Franklin Roosevelt Fourth Term as President

In 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt, then 62 years old, broke all precedent again, by running for a fourth term as president. The Republicans fought hard and ruthlessly, but the public, particularly in the middle of a world war, chose to keep faith in their leader. He won again by a wide margin.

President Franklin Roosevelt preparing for end of War and peace

By now, the hard work of the Depression and war years were beginning to take their toll. President Franklin Roosevelt 's hair had turned white and he looked far older than his years. His face was thin and gray, and his expression was often grim - President Franklin Roosevelt was worrying not just about the outcome of the war but of the uneasy peace that might follow it. This last worry brought him to Yalta for a conference with Churchill and Stalin, a conference that has ever after remained a source of controversy. There are many who think President Franklin Roosevelt sacrificed too much in his effort to assure peace, especially to the Soviets, who then launched their own campaign of conquest in the years after the war. Some think President Franklin Roosevelt should have seen it coming; others say he could never have known it.

President Franklin Roosevelt 's meeting in Yalta

President Franklin Roosevelt returned from Yalta, reported on the conference to Congress, and left for a vacation in Warm Springs, Georgia, the spa where he recovered from his polio. A few weeks later, while having his portrait painted, President Franklin Roosevelt complained of a severe headache. Three hours later President Franklin Roosevelt had a stroke. It was at 5:47 in the afternoon on April 12, 1945 that Americans heard on their radios the shocking news that Franklin Delano Roosevelt had died.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt 's funeral

For thirteen years, he had been their leader and for thirteen years they had loved him. The day of his funeral, men, women and children across America cried openly in public. Only a month later, Germany surrendered and the war in Europe was over. Three months after that Japan surrendered. Franklin Roosevelt had missed the end of the world war and the return of peace by only four months.