15. Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt’s influence on the United States didn’t end with the death of her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt. In fact, had it not been for Eleanor, FDR likely would not have been President; it was she who persuaded him to resume his political career after polio stripped him of the use of his legs and confined him to a wheelchair in 1921. She actively campaigned for her husband, delivering speeches in his stead, and representing him at public and party events. During his terms in the White House, she was an outspoken advocate for improved civil rights for black Americans, argued against segregation in the military and the American south, and used her weekly newspaper column to air her views, frequently to the chagrin of the President and his administration.
After FDR’s death, Eleanor remained active in political life, arguing for the United State to join the United Nations against conservative resistance, and becoming the nation’s first delegate to the General Assembly. She chaired the UN’s first Commission on Human Rights. She held positions under the Truman and Kennedy administrations, both focused on human rights and women’s rights. Often accused of holding antisemitic views, she was a vocal supporter of the state of Israel, and argued for its recognition by the United States. When she died in November, 1962, the New York Times noted in its obituary she was, “the object of almost universal respect”. In 1999 a Gallup poll of the most admired people of the 20th century listed her ninth overall, three ranks below her husband.
Read too: 32 Inspirational Moments Eleanor Roosevelt Gave the World.