Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

 A “top thirty” list ranking the most impactful Americans of the twentieth century would be a chore to assemble. Henry Ford? Richard Nixon? Bill Gates? What about entertainment giants like Frank Sinatra or Elvis? What does it mean to be truly impactful? Whatever your definition of the term, or assemblage of characters, any list would undoubtedly feature one man towards the top: the thirty-second President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The twentieth century is sometimes referred to as the American century, due to our country’s meteoric rise from middling nation to global superpower, and having been in office for twelve of those years, FDR navigated the country through the most pivotal years of that century to come out the other side positioned to dominate. While he would not live to bring his people to the promised land, his place in American history is secure, the comparison to Moses being all too apt. 

Clocking in at 824 pages, Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is nothing short of a tome, and is arguably one of renowned historian H.W. Brand’s best works. Here at HFD we are no stranger to Brand’s research and writing style, leaving no stone unturned or detail spared. Is it all necessary to provide an adequate biographical account of FDR? Probably not. But we are sure glad he took pains to do so. Roosevelt’s life was one of contradiction, often zigging when one would think he would zag. Born into a wealthy New York family, Roosevelt could have lived the life of an aristocrat, needing to do little but enjoy the pleasures of life. While the man certainly did indulge in his privileged upbringing, it cannot be said that he was unambitious. Harvard and Columbia law school spawned a career in government service, as opposed to more traditional money making careers. It was clear as a young man that power intrigued him, and the cockiness that his privileged childhood instilled in him made his political climb feel rather natural. However, his bout with polio after his failed 1920 vice presidential candidacy is the clear turning point of his life. Brands describes the mental shift that his paralysis caused, much of his arrogance subsiding and the warmess that was always a part of his personality shining more clearly through. The “father of America” type persona that he adopted in his early days of the presidency is a direct result of his illness, knocking him down a few pegs in the sense of his ego. However, his determination to continue his political career is one of those examples where the clear or easy path for him to take was not chosen. He could have spent the rest of his life feeling sorry for himself in a comfortable environment, but did no such thing. Taking on the Great Depression and then WWII would be more than enough challenge for any one person, but the way FDR handled, and shaped, these events and their attached histories is what made him a truly impactful president. 

I hesitate to dive fully into the book within this recommendation, as there is simply too much content to adequately mention. The stories of his struggles to get American out from under the cloud of depression, the political battles that shaped his reelection bids, his friendship with Winston Churchill, and his relationship with his wife Eleanor are only some of the subjects that are so well covered in the book one feels as if they are almost reliving them in real time. I think any casual observer of society today or an obsessive scholar of American history can find fascination with just how monumental this man was, if you can choke back your intimidation regarding the size of the book. I do not want this recommendation to sound like admiration for FDR, as there is no doubt he was and still is a polarizing figure. His presidency set up many of the political battles we are still fighting today. Despite being remembered as a “great” president, I think it is better to remember him as that word I have repeated a few times so far: impactful. His time in office is an inflection point in our history, so studying the man in charge is a genuinely fascinating subject.