17 / 50 · Law & political rights

Eleanor Roosevelt

United States · 1884–1962

Roosevelt transformed the public role of First Lady through writing, travel and advocacy. After the Second World War, she chaired the UN commission involved in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Her work connects public responsibility with the everyday conditions in which rights must be exercised. Her record, like any political legacy, is best approached through specific actions and documents.

“It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.”

My Day newspaper column, 15 June 1946.