Eleanor Roosevelt in the South Pacific Theater, 1943
In August 1943, at the height of World War II, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt undertook an extraordinary journey to the Pacific Theater, traveling more than 25,000 miles to visit military bases, hospitals, Red Cross clubs, and remote outposts where American servicemen and women were stationed. The demanding trip—remarkable for any civilian, let alone a presidential spouse—boosted troop morale and demonstrated her deep commitment to public service during a global crisis.
Shannon McKenna Schmidt, author of The First Lady of World War II, chronicles the first lady’s five-week journey as she flew in unheated transport planes and bombers, slept on army cots in rustic huts, dined in mess halls, traveled by Jeep over rough terrain to reach isolated camps, and even trekked through the jungle on a simulated training mission. Along the way, she met and addressed more than 400,000 American troops.
Schmidt also traces Roosevelt’s transformation from a shy society matron into one of the most visible and consequential first ladies in American history, examining the early advocacy work that helped inspire her public career and the ways she broke with tradition to take an active role in national affairs. Her pioneering work in civil rights and women’s rights, her partnership with husband Franklin D. Roosevelt, and how her wartime travels foreshadowed her later international leadership with the United Nations are also discussed.
General Information
