Franklin Delano Roosevelt is generally considered one of the most effective presidents of the United States. Whether these distinctions are entirely justified or whether Roosevelt's effectiveness was simply a product of the time he served as president will always be a debate. However, one thing no one can deny is that Roosevelt took an atypical path to becoming president. Whether he was battling illness or facing the death of a loved one, Roosevelt always managed to stay the course and persist toward his and the country's goals. People remember FDR for his actions during the Great Depression and World War II, but these actions were preceded by and related to a difficult, but interesting life that prepared him for his future endeavors. On January 30, 1882, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born. in Hyde Park, New York, to Sara Delano and James Roosevelt (whitehouse.gov). In 1886, at the age of four, Franklin and his family moved permanently to a home in Campobello, New Brunswick, Canada, which had previously been a summer getaway (Conkin 34). Two years later, Roosevelt began his formal studies under Archibald and Edmund Rogers. It was here that Roosevelt learned to speak German and had the opportunity to study abroad the following year. However, while abroad, he contracted a mild case of typhoid fever, the first of a multitude of illnesses he would battle during his life. He returned to Hyde Park in 1890 and was mentored by Miss Riensberg. On September 28 of the same year, Roosevelt began studies with a Swiss governess, Jeanne Sardoz, which lasted two years. Sardoz taught him some of the ins and outs of the British way of life in addition to teaching him...... middle of paper ......ed to accomplish. Only death could depose him. Likewise, only death could put an end to the success of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Bibliography: Asbell, Bernard. FDR's Memoirs. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1974. Conkin, Paul K. FDR and the Origins of the Welfare State. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1967. Diggins, John P. The Proud Decades. New York: W and W Norton and Company, 1988. Eisenhower, Milton S. The President Calls. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1974. Ginna, Robert and Robert Graff. RAD. New York: Harper and Bow Publishers, 1963. Internet. March 17, 2014. Available on the web: http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/presidents/html/fr32.html/Internet. March 25, 2014. Available on the web: http://www.nscds.pvt.k12.il.us/nscds/us/apushist/roosevelt/time.html#1880