A portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt, taken on July 20, 1933. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 - November 7, 1962) was an American politician. She married her fifth cousin once removed, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in 1905. After discovering Franklin's affair with Lucy Mercer, she resolved to seek fulfillment in a public life of her own. She persuaded Franklin to stay in politics following his partial paralysis from polio, and began to give speeches and campaign in his place. She was a controversial First Lady for her outspokenness, particularly her stance on racial issues. She was the first presidential spouse to hold press conferences, write a syndicated newspaper column, and speak at a national convention. She advocated for expanded roles for women in the workplace, the civil rights of African-Americans and Asian-Americans, and the rights of WWII refugees. Following her husband's death, she remained active in politics for the rest of her life. President Truman called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements. She died of cardiac failure in 1962, at the age of 78. In 1999, she was ranked in the top ten of Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century.