Casting Her Own Shadow, Eleanor Roosevelt, 1945-1962

Eleanor Roosevelt was 60 years old when she left the White House in April 1945. Returning to New York, she lived at Val-Kill Cottage in Hyde Park and an apartment in New York City.

Though she refused offers to run for political office, ER assured her friends "my voice will not be silent." She continued her work as a nationally-syndicated columnist, lecturer, author, and social activist. Soon opportunities for public service beckoned.

In December 1945, President Harry Truman appointed her to America's first delegation to the United Nations. It was the first of many public challenges ER accepted over the next 17 years - years filled with politics, writing, and travel.

To learn more about Eleanor Roosevelt's Suitcase, shown above, you can visit our Digital Artifact Collection.