Neither before nor since Eleanor Roosevelt has any American president’s wife been so active, so popular or so influential in her role as First Lady. In times of great difficulty for the USA – from the crisis of the early 30s to WW2 -, this role provided her with a challenge and combat that she would never shun nor neglect.

Between 1932 and 1945, Eleanor Roosevelt invested the function of First Lady with an unprecedented political dimension. She would become the inspiration and figurehead for a new generation of women determined to carve out a place in a political world reserved exclusively for men. 50 years after her death, newly-discovered documents enable us to gain a clearer understanding of her exceptional life : that of a scandalous woman who made a mark that is still visible today. From Hilary Clinton to gender studies, she remains an example for every woman wishing to embrace a political career.