Louis Howe was a journalist and political advisor who played a crucial role in the rise of Franklin D. Roosevelt to the presidency of the United States. Howe was not only a close friend and confidant of FDR, but also a mentor and supporter of Eleanor Roosevelt, who became one of the most influential first ladies in history. Howe’s dedication and loyalty to the Roosevelts was unmatched, and he devoted his life to advancing their political careers and agendas. But who was Louis Howe, and how did he die?
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Early Life and Career
Louis McHenry Howe was born on January 14, 1871, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to a wealthy family. His father, Edward P. Howe, was a Civil War veteran and a businessman who lost his fortune in the Panic of 1873. His mother, Eliza Blake Ray, was a descendant of prominent Indiana families. Howe was a small, sickly, and asthmatic child, who suffered from various illnesses and accidents throughout his life. He attended a seminary for young women in Saratoga Springs, New York, where his family moved after their financial losses. He married Grace Hartley, a Vassar college student, in 1898, and they had three children, one of whom died in infancy.
Howe began his journalism career at the age of 17, when he joined his father’s Democratic-leaning weekly newspaper, The Sun, in Saratoga Springs. He later freelanced for other regional papers, and in 1906, he was hired by the New York Herald to cover the New York state legislature in Albany. There, he developed an interest in politics and became a political operative for Thomas Mott Osborne, a Democratic reformer and mayor of Auburn, New York. Howe was fired by Osborne in 1909, after a disagreement over political strategy.
Meeting the Roosevelts
In 1911, Howe met Franklin D. Roosevelt, a young state senator from Hyde Park, New York, who was leading an anti-Tammany Hall insurgency within the Democratic Party. Howe was impressed by FDR’s charisma and potential, and offered to help him with his re-election campaign. FDR accepted Howe’s offer, and the two became inseparable. Howe became FDR’s chief of staff, campaign manager, speechwriter, publicist, and advisor. He helped FDR win the state senate seat in 1912, and then secure the appointment as assistant secretary of the navy in 1913, under President Woodrow Wilson.
Howe also became close to Eleanor Roosevelt, FDR’s wife and distant cousin, who was initially shy and insecure about her role in public life. Howe encouraged Eleanor to take an active part in politics, and coached her in public speaking, writing, and networking. He introduced her to women’s groups, social reformers, and journalists, and helped her develop her own voice and agenda. Eleanor later called Howe one of the most influential people in her life.
Howe continued to work with FDR in the Navy Department during World War I, and helped him run for vice president in 1920, on the ticket with James M. Cox. Although they lost the election to Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge, Howe saw it as an opportunity to increase FDR’s national exposure and popularity.
Polio and Recovery
In 1921, FDR contracted polio, which left him partially paralyzed from the waist down. Howe was devastated by FDR’s illness, but he did not give up on his political future. He became FDR’s public representative, keeping his name and image alive in the media and the party. He arranged FDR’s 1924 “Happy Warrior” convention speech, which nominated Alfred E. Smith for president, and marked FDR’s return to the public eye. He also helped FDR run for governor of New York in 1928, against the odds, and win by a narrow margin.
Howe also supported Eleanor in her efforts to help FDR recover and regain his independence. He encouraged her to continue her public activities and advocacy, and to act as FDR’s eyes and ears in the field. He also helped her cope with FDR’s infidelity, which he discovered in 1918, when he found love letters from FDR’s secretary, Lucy Mercer, in his suitcase. Howe persuaded FDR to end the affair and stay with Eleanor, and he kept the secret from the public.
The Road to the White House
Howe spent the next four years laying the groundwork for FDR’s presidential bid in 1932. He organized FDR’s campaign staff, which included James Farley, Basil O’Connor, and Samuel Rosenman. He also cultivated FDR’s relationship with the press, the public, and the party leaders. He advised FDR on his policies and speeches, especially on the issues of the Great Depression and the New Deal. He helped FDR win the Democratic nomination, and then defeat Herbert Hoover in a landslide victory.
Howe was rewarded by being named FDR’s secretary, a position that gave him access and influence in the White House. Howe helped FDR shape the early programs of the New Deal, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and the National Recovery Administration. He also acted as a liaison between FDR and Eleanor, who became a prominent and controversial figure in her own right.
Death and Legacy
Howe’s health deteriorated rapidly after FDR’s election. He suffered from a terminal heart condition, severe asthma, and bronchitis, which were aggravated by his heavy smoking and stressful work. He also developed pneumonia and pleurisy, which required hospitalization. He died on April 18, 1936, at the age of 65, in Bethesda, Maryland. He was buried in Fall River, Massachusetts, next to his wife, who had died in 1935.
Howe’s death was mourned by both FDR and Eleanor, who considered him a loyal friend and a valuable advisor. FDR said of Howe, “He was one of the two or three men who have been closest to me in this world.” Eleanor said of Howe, “He was a very great man, and I owe him more than anyone else in the world.” Howe’s role in the Roosevelts’ political careers and achievements was widely recognized and praised by historians and biographers. He was portrayed by Thomas Mitchell in the 1948 film The Roosevelt Story, by Edward Herrmann in the 1976 TV miniseries Eleanor and Franklin, and by Daniel Day-Lewis in the 2012 film Hyde Park on Hudson.
Howe was a remarkable man who overcame his physical and personal limitations to become one of the most influential figures in American politics. He was a master of political strategy, public relations, and personal loyalty. He was the man behind Roosevelt, who helped FDR and Eleanor become the leaders of the nation and the world. He was the cause of their greatness, and his death was a loss for them and for the country.
