Georgia remembers FDR: 80 years since his passing at the Little White House
Georgia's 80th FDR remembrance
Eighty years ago, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, died. Today, people gathered in Warm Springs to remember his legacy.
WARM SPRINGS, Ga. - Hundreds of people spent their Saturday at the Little White House in Warm Springs, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt spent much of his time. April 12, 2025, marked 80 years since the day he died of a stroke.
What they're saying:
"It's a testament to what the people of Georgia meant to FDR. I think it's a under-appreciated facet of his presidency that he gained as much from Georgia as Georgia gained from him," Haven Roosevelt Luke, FDR's great-grandson, said, reflecting on the number of people who came out to honor FDR.
"That brush may have stopped mid-stroke, but what Roosevelt painted into the fabric of this nation still colors our lives today," Sen. Raphael Warnock said during his address at the Little White House.
1st June 1928: American statesman Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882 - 1945) smiling when he heard that he was leading the contest for Governor of New York State. He later became the 32nd President of the USA. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
"I'm just thrilled that people still come here. It's a beautiful site. The people who take care of this place love it. It's a labor of love," Luke said.
The backstory:
FDR first came to Warm Springs in the 1920s looking for a cure for his polio in the natural hot springs.
President and Mrs. Roosevelt enjoying after-luncheon conversation with little patients of the Warm Springs Foundation.
He built a cottage there in the 1930s, and it became his presidential retreat, earning the name the Little White House.
FDR is the only president to serve more than two terms. He had just begun his fourth term when he died.
The Source: FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Kim Leoffler was at the 80th