Franklin Delano Roosevelt is generally considered one of the most effective presidents of the United States. Whether the accolades are entirely justified or whether Roosevelt's effectiveness was simply a product of the length of time he served as president will always be debated. However, one thing no one can deny is that Roosevelt took an atypical path to becoming president. Whether he was battling an illness or dealing with the death of a loved one, Roosevelt always managed to stay on track and persist toward his and his country's goals. People remember FDR for his actions during the Great Depression and World War II, but those actions were preceded and intertwined with a tough, 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 permanently settled in a home in Campobello, New Brunswick, Canada, which had previously been a summer getaway (Conkin 34). Two years later, Roosevelt began his formal education under the governess of Archibald and Edmund Rogers. It was here that Roosevelt learned to speak German and had the opportunity to study abroad the following year. While abroad, however, he contracted a mild case of typhoid fever, the first of a multitude of illnesses he would battle throughout his life. He returned to Hyde Park in 1890 and was educated by Miss Riensberg. On September 28 of that year, Roosevelt began his studies under a Swiss governess, Jeanne Sardoz, which lasted two years. Sardoz taught him some ins and outs of the British way of life as well as teaching him… halfway… ready to accomplish. Only death could remove him from office. Likewise, only death could end Franklin Delano Roosevelt's success. 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 is Calling. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1974. Ginna, Robert, and Robert Graff. FDR. New York: Harper and Bow Publishers, 1963. Internet. March 17, 2014. WWW available: http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/presidents/html/fr32.html/Internet. March 25, 2014. WWW available: http://www.nscds.pvt.k12.il.us/nscds/us/apushist/roosevelt/time.html#1880