Uncle Akin: The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part Four)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)
January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945

In closing, we here summarize some of the attributes marking FDR out as a champion/model of "The Invictus Soul."

1. He was a Man with a Vision:

FDR caught a vision of the presidency from his fifth cousin, Theodore Roosevelt (TR), 26th POTUS. He was so caught up, he modeled his life after TR, except he had to join the Democratic Party. He did that either to follow in his father's footsteps or to avoid competing with TR's children. TR was some twenty-five years older than FDR.

"We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Unlike Hebert Hoover, before him, FDR was not one to hold tightly to an ideology at the expense of getting the job done. He remained pragmatic and open-minded in going about his set objectives.

"Let’s concentrate upon one thing: Save the people and the nation, and if we have to change our minds twice every day to accomplish that end, we should do it." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

War & Peace

2. He was Pragmatic, Openminded, Willing to Learn and Grow:

He learned from TR how a president could dominate the American political landscape and, through the force of his personality, redefine the presidency and America's place in the world. He also learned from President Woodrow Wilson, who he served under as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Wilson’s regulation of corporate trusts, banks, and the money supply showed FDR how effective a president could be as a legislator.

"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

"Our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

First-Class Temperament

3. He was a Man of Strong Faith in the Future:

He faced the malady of his polio incident with courage, tenacity, and hopefulness. Even though he was experiencing physical difficulty, he never lost his sense of humor and charisma. These struggles led him to develop compassion and earnest caring for ordinary people and their struggles. These same attributes he exhibited as he piloted the country through the Great Depression and World War II.

"We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American Eagle in order to feather their own nests." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

"I call for effort, courage, sacrifice, devotion. Granting the love of freedom, all of these are possible. And the love of freedom is still fierce and steady in the nation today." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

Commander-in-Chief

3. He was an Agent of Change:

He faced the Great Depression head-on by offering the American people, what he termed, "The New Deal." According to historians, the program had three foci: relief, recovery, and reform. It was to relieve the unemployed and poor American people, to recover the American economy to previous levels, and to reform the financial system to avoid repeating the Great Depression. He was not imprisoned by what had been. He was willing to risk venturing into new, hitherto on treaded grounds if only in hope of solving the immediate and future challenges.

"Yes, we are on the way back — not by mere chance, not by a turn of the cycle. We are coming back more soundly than ever before because we planned it that way, and don't let anybody tell you differently." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Champion of Freedom

4. He understood and used the Potency of the Mastermind:

FDR was not one to go it alone. He used groups of close advisers prized for their expertise in particular fields. These were collectively known as the *“Brain Trust,” otherwise known as **Master Minds. The group most notably included Rexford Tugwell, Raymond Moley, Adolph Berle, and ***Napoleon Hill. Together, these, along with others, advised Roosevelt through the earliest days of the New Deal and helped to craft significant legislative programs for congressional review and approval. Together, they created one of the most outstanding Master Minds that the USA has ever known. It consisted of both House, Radio Station operators, Churches of all denominations, leaders of both political parties lining behind and helping the President in bringing the country out of its chaos. He was not one to castigate people based on their beliefs.

"We are a nation of many nationalities, many races, many religions – bound together by a single unity, the unity of freedom and equality. Whoever seeks to set one nationality against another, seeks to degrade all nationalities." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

He worked with Winston Churchill to establish the foundations of the United Nations. He allied with Churchill and Joseph Stalin to defeat the Axis powers in World War II. He understood the art of compromise and relationship building in Washington and the importance of mass communication to the nation.

"If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

"Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

The "Big Three" - Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill,
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Premier Josef Stalin

Great leaders must have two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate that vision clearly. (Simon Sinek)

* Brain Trust, a phrase coined by a New York Times reporter to describe the multiple “brains” on Roosevelt’s advisory team.
**Napoleon Hill defines the Master Mind as: “Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.”
***Napoleon Hill is the author of the acclaimed book, “Think and Grow Rich.” Napoleon had served FDR since his time in office as Assistant Secretary to the Navy and particularly while he was the 44th Governor of New York.

Link to the Study Series:
The Invictus Soul...Unconquerable, Undefeated (Part Three)

Other Related Links:
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

The New Deal