FDR's First FIRESIDE CHAT ~ 1933

Photo:washingtonpost.com

The fireside chats were a series of thirty evening radio speeches given by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1944.

Origin of radio address
According to Roosevelt’s principal speechwriter Judge Clinton Sorrel, he first used "fireside chats" in 1929 during his first term as Governor of New York. Roosevelt faced a conservative Republican legislature so during each legislative session he would occasionally address the citizens of New York directly in the camelback room. He appealed to them for help getting his agenda passed. Letters would pour in following each of these "chats," which helped pressure legislators to pass measures Roosevelt had proposed. He began making the informal addresses as President on March 12, 1933, during the Great Depression.

Chronological list of Presidential fireside chats
On the Bank Crisis - Sunday, March 12, 1933
Outlining the New Deal Program - Sunday, May 7, 1933
On the Purposes and Foundations of the Recovery Program - Monday, July 24, 1933
On the Currency Situation - Sunday, October 22, 1933
Review of the Achievements of the Seventy-third Congress - Thursday, June 28, 1934
On Moving Forward to Greater Freedom and Greater Security - Sunday, September 30, 1934
On the Works Relief Program - Sunday, April 28, 1935
On Drought Conditions - Sunday, September 6, 1936
On the Reorganization of the Judiciary - Tuesday, March 9, 1937
On Legislation to be Recommended to the Extraordinary Session of the Congress - Tuesday, October 12, 1937
On the Unemployment Census - Sunday, November 14, 1937
On Economic Conditions - Thursday, April 14, 1938
On Party Primaries - Friday, June 24, 1938
On the European War - Sunday, September 3, 1939
On National Defense - Sunday, May 26, 1940
On National Security - Sunday, December 29, 1940
Announcing Unlimited National Emergency - Tuesday, May 27, 1941 (the longest fireside chat)
On Maintaining Freedom of the Seas - Thursday, September 11, 1941
On the Declaration of War with Japan - Tuesday, December 9, 1941
On Progress of the War - Monday, February 23, 1942
On Our National Economic Policy - Tuesday, April 28, 1942
On Inflation and Progress of the War - Monday, September 7, 1942
Report on the Home Front - Monday, October 12, 1942
On the Coal Crisis - Sunday, May 2, 1943
On Progress of War and Plans for Peace - Wednesday, July 28, 1943
Opening Third War Loan Drive - Wednesday, September 8, 1943
On Tehran and Cairo Conferences - Friday, December 24, 1943
State of the Union Message to Congress - Tuesday, January 11, 1944
On the Fall of Rome - Monday, June 5, 1944
Opening Fifth War Loan Drive - Monday, June 12, 1944

Rhetorical Manner
Sometimes beginning his talks with "Good evening, friends", Roosevelt urged listeners to have faith in the banks and to support his New Deal measures. The "fireside chats" were considered enormously successful and attracted more listeners than the most popular radio shows during the "Golden Age of Radio." Roosevelt continued his broadcasts into the 1940s, as Americans turned their attention to World War II. Roosevelt's first fireside chat was March 12, 1933, which marked the beginning of a series of 30 radio broadcasts to the American people reassuring them the nation was going to recover and shared his hopes and plans for the country. The chats ranged from fifteen to forty-five minutes and eighty percent of the words used were in the one thousand most commonly used words in the English dictionary Weekly address.

Every US President since Roosevelt has delivered a regular address. Presidents Ronald Reagan through George W. Bush delivered weekly Saturday radio broadcasts, while President Barack Obama introduced providing his address in audio and video forms, both of which are available online via YouTube. It has long become customary for the President's Weekly Radio Address to be followed an hour later (on the radio) by a 'response' (not always a topical response) by a member of the opposing political party (the respondent from the opposing party changes each week, while the president is the same for the entirety of their term, generally 4 or 8 years).

text;wikipedia.com

ROSWELL BRAYTON, JR. ~ March 12, 2007

Seven years ago today was the sudden and greatly unexpected death of my first cousin Roswell Brayton, Jr. As his sister Anne said: “He was the golden boy. Nobody expected him to die so young.” He was almost the same age as I when I had my heart attack – a few months after his 55th birthday.

Rozzie was the genuine athlete in the family. He was the star pitcher on his Harvard baseball team and made the Harvard Sports Hall of Fame. I guess he was also a fanatic golfer, as were many others of my Mother’s family. He had a wooden box full of score cards from every golf game he had ever played (over a thousand). It was buried with him in his casket. And since his father had lived until his early eighties, Rozzie had every expectation that he would do likewise. Nevertheless, he evidently had already planned that detail of his funeral.

The last time I saw him was on my 55th birthday, when I went with my sister Julie to the Annual Woolrich Stockholders' Meeting. It was the only one I have ever attended. (I don't think my Mother had ever missed one.) The primary reason I went is that I was on my way to the 90th Spizzwink(?) Reunion in New Haven and just happened to be East at the time. (Three Aprils ago I went to the 95th.) I took the above picture after the meeting.

The irony was, Rozzie died doing cardio in the company gym in Woolrich. I suppose the hard decisions he had taken to make Woolrich competitive to survive in the new global economy took its toll. As President and CEO of the family company, he had had to let go almost 80% of the US workforce. I’m convinced it killed him.

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Rozzie's son Nicolas P. Brayton is the major stockholder and now president of Woolrich. 

IBBY ITCH ~ March 11, 1912 ~ March 8, 1999

Elizabeth Rich was born the month before the sailing of the Titanic. She was the eldest of six (and four surviving) daughters. Had she been a man, I have no doubt she would have taken over the family business. (I find it ironic that the one sister, who hated the little village of Woolrich, ended up marrying a Harvard man, who eventually did run the company and had to live there, at least, part of the year.)

My Mother was known as Aunt Betty to Dad’s side of the family. At Holyoke she’d been Libby. For one of her graduations-- either at Mount Holyoke or Yale (or could it have been Dickinson Seminary?) -- she changed her name altogether. She had always wanted a middle name. She liked the name Virginia. But instead of adding a middle name, she just dropped the first. Her parents, looking in the program, wondered who was Virginia Rich and where was Elizabeth? To her grandchildren she was “Nai-Nai” in Mandarin from Sherry’s Taiwan days, or “Goggie,” her own Mother Julia’s sobriquet. In my twittier moments, I called her “Mater mei,” which I just realized sounds dangerously close to “Mother of God” (it’s only the Latin for “Mama mia.”)

But to most of her friends throughout her adult life in Pennsylvania, Mother was known as Ibby. In 1915, as a three year old, she was asked to introduce herself as Elizabeth Rich. She did the best that she could. Out came:“ Ibby Itch.”

At the end of her life she was Elizabeth again. I’m not convinced that was entirely her choice. But, after all, that was her name. She would have been 101 years old today!

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Mother with her parents and three younger sisters on the porch of their house in Woolrich, Pennsylvania.

An atypical photo of my Mother on the path leading from our cottage on Pine Island, Lake Winnepausaukee in New Hampshire taken more than fifty years ago. It captures a whimsical side of Mother... not always apparent.

LOUISIANA PURCHASE ~ 1804

Map: washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn

On March 10, 1804 there was a formal ceremony in St. Louis to transfer ownership of the Louisiana Territory from France to the United States of America.

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The recent earthquake in Haiti brought up the point that the slave rebellion against French troops in Haiti was one of the major incentives for Napoleon to sell Louisiana to the new American republic.

NAPOLEON MARRIES JOSEPHINE ~ 1796

Image: georgianindex.net

In several earlier posts I have listed some of Napoleon's mistakes or miscalculations. Among these were his failure to grant independence to Poland, particularly after his affair with Marie Waleska. That relationship produced a son, Alexandre, claimed by Marie's husband as his own. As an adult Alexandre became the foreign minister to Napoleon III. Napoleon III (generally known as "Louis Napoleon" before he became Emperor) was the son of Louis Bonaparte (brother of Napoleon I), and Hortense de Beauharnais (daughter of Napoleon I's wife Josephine de Beauharnais by her first marriage). So by a curious twist, Napoleon's natural, but illegitimate, son became the servant of Napoleon's eventual heir-- both his nephew through Napoleon's brother Louis and his step-grandson through his step-daughter Hortense.

Then there was Napoleon's brother Joseph, whom he placed on the throne of Spain. All that did was to foster guerilla resistance, which led eventually to the first successes of Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington.

Napoleon's biggest mistake, however, may have been the divorce of his first wife Josephine, Hortense's mother. That may sound preposterous on the face of it, but hear me out. At the moment, I can't locate the book I found a number of years ago at the Salvation Army thrift store, so I'll have to trust my memory.

May 28th, 1812 may have been the apex of Napoleon's power, authority and prestige. On that day he reviewed a military parade in Dresden. Riding in front of him were the various crowned heads, princes, and other minor royalty of Europe, some of whom were his relatives, placed on their thrones by Napoleon himself. It was just before the invasion of Russia, which led to his eventual downfall.

What Napoleon didn't know was that the Turkish Sultan in Constantinople secretly broke his treaty with France and allied himself with the British that very same day. This act would have enormous consequences. The original plan was for the Turks to support and supply the French during the invasion of Russia. Instead, the Turks allied themselves with Napoleon's enemies.

Why did the Sultan switch sides? There's no real documentation; but speculation convinces me. Mahmud II was the Son of Abdülhamid I and Nakşidil Sultan. Although it has not been proved conclusively, it is very likely that Nakşidil was Aimee du Buc de Rivery, first cousin of Josephine Beauharnais Bonaparte.

Below is a long quote from another blog entitled "A Very Fine Romance: A Blog About Romance, Beauty, and the Exotic In All Forms"
Aimee du Buc de Rivery: Cousin of the Empress Josephine & The Ottoman Turkish Connection

No one will know the actual fate of Aimee du Buc de Rivery who was the empress Josephine's cousin. Nevertheless for almost two hundred years there has been so much speculation that the story of two empresses who were related and ruled simultaneously has captured the imaginations of writers as diverse as Prince Michael of Greece to the African-American fiction writer Barbara Chase-Riboud.

The story of Aimee du Buc de Rivery runs basically that she was a cousin of the empress Josephine, and like her more well-known cousin was born on the island of Martinique. When both were 12 they went to a famous black fortune teller on their island who told Josephine that her second husband would be so powerful and glorious that she would be more prestigious than the queen of France. Aimee was told an even more incredible prophesy. She would be captured by pirates and sold to a powerful ruler who because of her beauty, would make her his mistress and favorite. When she had a son by this ruler this would increase her position. Through her son, she would have great power and influence.

The legend of Aimee goes on to say that when she was returning to Martinique from studying in a convent in France, her ship was hijacked by Barbary pirates. She was captured and given to the Bey of Algiers. In order to garner favor with the Ottoman sultan, this girl of great beauty was sold into the harem in Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. There Aimee captured the eye of the sultan and became his wife. She was given the name of Nakshedil, and is said to have taught her husband French, thus opening up the Ottoman Empire to France and ultimately the west. Because of her, other reforms were introduced during her husband's and son's reign.

Aimee proved to be a survivor in the violent, political atmosphere of the harem and Topkapi Palace. Though she converted to Islam, she was always in her a heart a Christian. When she was dying, her son allowed for the first time for a priest to come into the palace to administer the last rites to his mother. So ends the story of the girl whom history and legend says was a cousin of Josephine, born to a wealthy family on Martinique and who died in a palace in Istanbul, the most powerful woman among the Turks.

I first heard about Aimee du Buc de Rivery when I read Barbara Chase-Riboud's novel, Valide: A Novel of the Harem while I was a graduate student. A black Muslim woman, whom I am not sure was orthodox or a member of The Nation of Islam, told me about Aimee and the book. Life is unpredictable, so when I read this novel of Romance, violence, and intrigue, I had no way of knowing that Turkey would become a part of my life in so many ways years later.

Posted by Sincerae (means "Morningstar")

Sultan Mahmud II was very possibly a first-cousin-once-removed from the Empress Josephine. One of the difficulties in proving this is that the Topkapi palace policy did not keep written records of women, only of men. But it is known that Aimee ended up in the harem, and that Mahmud's mother was French.

Napoleon, of course, reluctantly divorced his first wife Josephine, because she was unable to bear him a son and heir.

So Napoleon married Marie Louise, the daughter of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (Francis I of Austria) and of his second wife, Maria Theresa of the Two Sicilies. Marie Louise was also a double great-granddaughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, thus a double grandniece of Marie Antoinette, as she was a paternal granddaughter of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (Maria Theresa's son, Marie Antoinette's brother) and a maternal granddaughter of Marie Caroline of Austria, Queen of Naples and Sicily (Maria Theresa's daughter, Marie Antoinette's sister).

Geneaology courtesy:wikipedia.com

Marie Louise did provide Napoleon with a son and heir, Napoleon II, the "King of Rome," who died as a young man in Vienna. But the very fact that Napoleon divorced Josephine to do so, may have been the deciding factor in Mahmud II's decision to switch sides and not support the French in their invasion of Russia in 1812. It may have been the old story that "Blood is thicker..." or, "You can't do that to my mother's cousin."

Beginning of the Final Journey

Venetian map & paintings in my dining room

March 8, 2006 was Dennis’ last time out of the house (alive). He had a scheduled appointment with Dr. Fessel at Kaiser and I was planning to leave work around 1:30 pm to go home to drive him to his appointment in his Dad’s ’95 white Chevy Lumina. But before I had a chance to leave, Dennis reached me on my cell phone to say that he wanted to drop off four paintings of Venice (he had bought the last day of our recent trip) to be stretched at “Back to the Picture” framing shop. Immediately I left work to go home in an attempt to prevent his driving. I was terrified he would be in an accident on his way to the hospital. He hadn’t been out of the house or even downstairs since our return from Venice on March 1st.

I got home – but he was gone. I considered running to the framing shop on Valencia; but then saw a taxi and went directly to Kaiser. On the fourth floor there was Dennis in the waiting room. He had dropped off the paintings and somehow managed to get to Kaiser. He didn’t know which level of the garage he had parked the car.

We saw Dr. Fessel – for the last time. Dr. Fessel stated that Dennis was on his final journey – that there was nothing more medically he could do for him. The various trial programs over the years had kept Dennis alive for exactly two decades. But now their effects cancelled each other out and Dennis had sclerosis of the liver. Dennis quipped: “I’m Irish… and I finally got the Irish disease – and it isn’t even from drinking!” That may or may not be exactly true – since Dennis had been indulging in internet-purchased imported absinthe for several months. I’m sure it wasn’t good for him – but at that point – what would have been the harm?

Dennis said he wanted to talk about end of life issues. I was completely caught off guard and was visibly upset, but Dennis seemed calmer knowing he would have an OUT of his own choosing, rather like Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus.

We decided to check out home hospice offered by Kaiser.

ELIZABETH RICH BELL ~ New Life ~ March 8,1999

My Mother, Ibby Bell, moved to Newville, Pennsylvania in 1989. Greenridge Village has many educated, traveled, interesting and friendly residents. Mother fit in and enjoyed their companionship and her own independence. The first eight or nine, were really good years. Her cottage at 31 Cedar Circle was charming. It had more room than my flat in San Francisco. What a luxury --- with two car garage, plenty of closets ---even an attic. I had to take a month’s leave from work at Neiman-Marcus to help Julie and Mother make the move. Lots of people helped; but Julie laid the groundwork. It was a special time to share with Mother. Moving from the old house was, I think, the most physical labor I’ve ever done. It was fun to set up her new place, to make the final decisions about what went where, which rugs to use, which pictures to hang, and so forth.

We hadn’t realized until the flood of Hurricane Agnes how much china and silver Mother actually had. Most of that went with her to Greenridge Village. In January 1997, we four children spent a week with Mother to distribute her possessions, when she moved to assisted living. She had already made the move; but kept the cottage two more months to allow all of us to be there. I think it was difficult for her to give up her things; but it was gratifying that she was able to make or, at minimum, approve the decisions.

The last six months were very hard for Mother. Julie agonized over the move to extended care. In order to delay it, we made arrangements for Mother to stay in her room at assisted living by having three shifts of companions around the clock. Eventually, even that was not satisfactory. When Mother made her final move, she misinterpreted the change and thought that care was being taken away, rather than extended. In reality, it partly was. Her isolation seemed more complete.

Even so, some of the old spark remained. Near the end, Mother laughed to herself and said it was just like the Lion and the Wolf. Cynthia called me from Florida to ask if I knew the reference. I said it sounded like an Aesop’s Fable. I looked around and found a book Sherry had given me on Fables of La Fontaine with illustrations by Dore.

Within its pages was Mother’s fable of The Lion, the Wolf and the Fox: “A Lion, sickly, weak, and full of years,/Desired a remedy against old age.” Ibby no doubt remembered it from the French!

Mother was a complex, conscientious, dogmatic, frightened, dedicated, stubborn, scholarly, rigid, vulnerable, disorganized, sentimental, opinionated, righteous, wry, considerate, determined, isolated, judgmental, courteous, timid, strong-willed, brittle, self-effacing, kind, inquisitive, lonely, sincere, intellectual, controlling, wealthy, stingy, principled, absolutist, thrifty, extraordinarily generous, manipulative, frustrating, shy, artistic, tender, tyrannical, talented, sweet, sporting, maddening, delicate, decorous, idiosyncratic, diligent, loving and supportive woman. To the end she was a fighter.

Above all, Ibby was a golfer.

Mother departed this life at 1:28 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 8, 1999 --only three days before her 87th birthday. At her side were her eldest and youngest children. She died holding a #10 iron, her favorite putter. All four of her children spent the last two full days with her and slept on the floor of her room that final night.

Earlier we read our own verses from a poem Mother had written about us children back in 1951 when Julie was twelve, Sherry nine, Cynthia four, and I was two. Each verse began: “I love you Mother....”

Cynthia played Massenet’s Meditation from the opera Thais, as Mother had requested for her to do at her memorial service. That was a piece Cynthia had studied with her teacher Mr. Malsh. And years ago Mother made me promise that I would sing the aria Gounod’s Repentance (O, Divine Redeemer). That was difficult for me to get through, but I did my best. Mother had selected that anthem when she was very close to death with pneumonia as a sixteen year old. Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary then and Mother lived another full and vibrant seventy years. Cynthia played and I sang at the principal memorial service at Grace Church in Harrisburg on Saturday March 27, 1999. That allowed time for relatives from out of state and others out of the country to attend. Afterwards we went to Woolrich to bury a lock of her hair.

As a nurse, Mother donated her body for research at the Hershey Medical Center. We reclaimed her ashes a year later for internment at the plot in Woolrich.

On the morning after her death, we had a brief witness to the resurrection celebration for Mother in the garden court at Greeenridge Village for all her helpers and the many friends she had made there.

For most of Mother’s life, she was rather isolated and estranged because of her hearing problems. She was always busy with her hands -- with needle-point, knitting, drawing, sewing, cooking, and, of course, golf. (She never was much of a gardener, though. She never learned how to prune.) Mother was very active in church and civic volunteer organizations. She had many acquaintances and colleagues, but very few real friends. Her hearing isolation and her own eccentricities contributed to her loneliness. (And during the final years she was legally blind.)

But Mother spent the last ten years of her life at Greenridge Village, where her natural and cultured idiosyncracies evolved into delightful old age charm. She fit right in and developed many deep and authentic friendships-- in some ways, really for the first time in her life. She was truly loved.