Eleanor Roosevelt: An Unexpected Queer Icon
Olivia Paul
Olivia Paul
Eleanor Roosevelt was a pioneer for the rights of women, minorities, and refugees. She was also the first delegate for the United States in the UN, where she championed human rights once again by pushing for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although she has made so many great accomplishments, she is often cast into the shadows of her husband and former US president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. In fact, most people only know her as his ‘devoted’ wife, but there’s a lot more to their love story than meets the eye. Now that we have access to all sorts of letters, documents, and pictures, I can deduct that Eleanor Roosevelt was actually wlw*.
Before we get straight to the sapphic romance, let’s start off with the troubled marriage of the Roosevelts. The first bizarre fact about their relationship is that they were fifth cousins. Not only were they fully aware of this, but Eleanor’s Uncle and another former president, Theodore Roosevelt even said “It is a good thing to keep the name in the family.” (Barbara Maranzani, History.com) It is important to note that they were distant enough cousins that there were no genetic issues, but it’s still kinda weird.
Aside from their odd relations, it has also been discovered that Franklin had an affair that Eleanor knew full well about. This was with his secretary, Lucy Mercer. Lucy was a big part of Franklin’s life, and was even present at his deathbed. Eleanor learned of this affair around 1918, when he returned from Europe. (Dr. Howard Merkel, Pbs.org) She was very upset, of course, and demanded that this end immediately, or else there would be severe consequences. Many years later, the affair started back up while she was out of town, and she didn’t seem to mind too much this time. This could be because of her new secret lover, the journalist Lorena Hickok.
Finally, the steamy, secret wlw romance that you’ve been waiting for. Meet Lorena Hickok. She was an outstanding journalist for the Associated Press, and was one of the first women to have her story on the front page of a newspaper. Lorena met Eleanor in 1932 when the reporter convinced her editors to assign her to cover Eleanor during the 1932 presidential campaign. (nps.gov) They hit it off immediately, and became very good ‘friends.’ Of course they developed strong feelings for each other, and would always try and find ways for Lorena to cover press for specifically Eleanor. Their love letters have been obtained by the FDR Presidential Library, and here’s some of the best excerpts:
(from Eleanor to Lorena, March 1933)
“Hick darling, Oh! how good it was to hear your voice, it was so inadequate to try & tell you what it meant, Jimmy was near & I couldn’t say ‘je t’aime et je t’adore’ as I longed to do but always remember I am saying it & that I go to sleep thinking of you & repeating our little saying.”
In french that means “I love you, I adore you.” This is the epitome of a fairytale type romance. The movie practically writes itself.
(from Lorena to Eleanor, December 1933)
“Only eight more days. Twenty-four hours from now it will be only seven more—just a week! I’ve been trying today to bring back your face—to remember just how you look. Funny how even the dearest face will fade away in time. Most clearly I remember your eyes with a kind of teasing smile in them, and the feeling of that soft spot just northeast of the corner of your mouth against my lips. I wonder what we’ll do when we meet—what we’ll say. Well—I’m rather proud of us, aren’t you? I think we’ve done rather well.”
‘The corner of your mouth against my lips’. There is absolutely no straight explanation for this one! They’re totally girlfriends, and I’m totally here for it.
Perhaps, if times had been different, these lovely ladies wouldn’t’ve had to hide their relationship, but they clearly still loved each other very much in secret. In fact, they lived together for quite a while after Franklin’s death. Lorena went on to write biographies about Eleanor’s life that are very intimate, and Eleanor made sure to take care of Lorena when her health was starting to decline. History books still try to play these two off as nothing more than ‘best friends’, and the discrimination against LGBTQ history is clear. Try informing yourself and others about their relationship, so that we can see more representation and hopefully do them justice.
*(WLW is an umbrella term for any woman in the LGBTQ+ community who has an attraction to other women. For example, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, etc. Since we cannot fully confirm which label Eleanor Roosevelt used, it is best to just use the term WLW, which implies that she had a relationship with another woman.)
Before we get straight to the sapphic romance, let’s start off with the troubled marriage of the Roosevelts. The first bizarre fact about their relationship is that they were fifth cousins. Not only were they fully aware of this, but Eleanor’s Uncle and another former president, Theodore Roosevelt even said “It is a good thing to keep the name in the family.” (Barbara Maranzani, History.com) It is important to note that they were distant enough cousins that there were no genetic issues, but it’s still kinda weird.
Aside from their odd relations, it has also been discovered that Franklin had an affair that Eleanor knew full well about. This was with his secretary, Lucy Mercer. Lucy was a big part of Franklin’s life, and was even present at his deathbed. Eleanor learned of this affair around 1918, when he returned from Europe. (Dr. Howard Merkel, Pbs.org) She was very upset, of course, and demanded that this end immediately, or else there would be severe consequences. Many years later, the affair started back up while she was out of town, and she didn’t seem to mind too much this time. This could be because of her new secret lover, the journalist Lorena Hickok.
Finally, the steamy, secret wlw romance that you’ve been waiting for. Meet Lorena Hickok. She was an outstanding journalist for the Associated Press, and was one of the first women to have her story on the front page of a newspaper. Lorena met Eleanor in 1932 when the reporter convinced her editors to assign her to cover Eleanor during the 1932 presidential campaign. (nps.gov) They hit it off immediately, and became very good ‘friends.’ Of course they developed strong feelings for each other, and would always try and find ways for Lorena to cover press for specifically Eleanor. Their love letters have been obtained by the FDR Presidential Library, and here’s some of the best excerpts:
(from Eleanor to Lorena, March 1933)
“Hick darling, Oh! how good it was to hear your voice, it was so inadequate to try & tell you what it meant, Jimmy was near & I couldn’t say ‘je t’aime et je t’adore’ as I longed to do but always remember I am saying it & that I go to sleep thinking of you & repeating our little saying.”
In french that means “I love you, I adore you.” This is the epitome of a fairytale type romance. The movie practically writes itself.
(from Lorena to Eleanor, December 1933)
“Only eight more days. Twenty-four hours from now it will be only seven more—just a week! I’ve been trying today to bring back your face—to remember just how you look. Funny how even the dearest face will fade away in time. Most clearly I remember your eyes with a kind of teasing smile in them, and the feeling of that soft spot just northeast of the corner of your mouth against my lips. I wonder what we’ll do when we meet—what we’ll say. Well—I’m rather proud of us, aren’t you? I think we’ve done rather well.”
‘The corner of your mouth against my lips’. There is absolutely no straight explanation for this one! They’re totally girlfriends, and I’m totally here for it.
Perhaps, if times had been different, these lovely ladies wouldn’t’ve had to hide their relationship, but they clearly still loved each other very much in secret. In fact, they lived together for quite a while after Franklin’s death. Lorena went on to write biographies about Eleanor’s life that are very intimate, and Eleanor made sure to take care of Lorena when her health was starting to decline. History books still try to play these two off as nothing more than ‘best friends’, and the discrimination against LGBTQ history is clear. Try informing yourself and others about their relationship, so that we can see more representation and hopefully do them justice.
*(WLW is an umbrella term for any woman in the LGBTQ+ community who has an attraction to other women. For example, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, etc. Since we cannot fully confirm which label Eleanor Roosevelt used, it is best to just use the term WLW, which implies that she had a relationship with another woman.)
(Eleanor Roosevelt And Lorena Hickok, Photo Creds to FDR Presidential Library)
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Olivia Paul is thirteen years old, and has lived in Tampa, Florida all her life. She uses she/her pronouns, and identifies as a lesbian. Although she’s only thirteen, she still tries to do all she can to help her community. This summer, she volunteered for two congressional campaigns and an organization to flip Florida blue. In her free time, she likes to bake, collect vinyl records, and write short stories. When she’s older, she wants to study in psychology and eventually become a mental health counselor. Writing will always remain a very dear hobby to her, and she aims to continue writing articles and short stories her whole life.
Olivia Paul is thirteen years old, and has lived in Tampa, Florida all her life. She uses she/her pronouns, and identifies as a lesbian. Although she’s only thirteen, she still tries to do all she can to help her community. This summer, she volunteered for two congressional campaigns and an organization to flip Florida blue. In her free time, she likes to bake, collect vinyl records, and write short stories. When she’s older, she wants to study in psychology and eventually become a mental health counselor. Writing will always remain a very dear hobby to her, and she aims to continue writing articles and short stories her whole life.