Although he had a degree in law, Franklin wasn’t truly happy practicing it. He changed career paths in 1910 when he was elected to the New York State Senate under the Democratic nomination, which was strange considering Franklin’s family was mostly Republican. While in the State Senate, Franklin was known for defending farmers in the New York area and was very much against Tammany Hall. He believed that government should be involved in everyday life to protect the people. In 1912, Franklin won re-election to the New York State Senate, which led him to meet Louis Howe, a political journalist. He became Franklin’s chief advisor for the next two decades, all the way to his presidency. While working in the State Senate position, Franklin was asked by President Wilson to become Secretary of the Navy’s assistant. He agreed and left the State Senate position. Franklin loved working with the Navy and enjoyed everyday activities that the Secretary of the Navy was not permitted to. He used his time in the position to change the policy of the navy. Franklin argued that the United States’ military would need to improve during the 1st World War, and in 1917, he was a prominent advocate in the United States’ entry into the war. Before this, in 1914, Franklin tried to run for the New York Senate for the Democrats and ended up unsuccessful.g His failure enabled him to learn that in order to succeed in the …show more content…
In 1920, he ran as Vice President with the Democratic nomination, and lost. Although he lost, he went to work as Vice President of a Fidelity and Deposit Company, a financial firm. In 1921, disaster stuck Franklin in the form of Polio, which was an incurable disease at the time, as it was only treatable if caught early. He knew that he couldn’t appear weak to the public because it would ruin his chances in politics, so he attempted to regain the ability to walk. He somehow held onto an energetic personality, but it was later discovered his zeal was a facade, for he only wanted to prevent people from believing that he really had polio. Eventually, the therapy worked and he could walk, but some say he had a noticeable limp, or always had Eleanor beside him, almost leaning on her for