Franklin D. Roosevelt was born.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt ( [ ˈroʊzəvəlt ] , his own pronunciation , or [ - en ˈroʊzəvɛlt ] January 30 , 1882 -- April 12 , 1945 ) , commonly known as FDR , was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 32nd President of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945 . He entered politics in 1910 , serving in the New York State Senate , and then as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson . In the 1932 presidential election , Roosevelt defeated incumbent Republican president Herbert Hoover in a landslide to win the presidency .