#TBT: Roosevelt Defines The Modern Presidency

     Franklin D. Roosevelt defined the modern presidency, one of centralized executive power and prestige. During his time in office, he signed a record 3,522 executive orders, or nearly daily during his 12-year presidency. Among his actions were declaring a bank holiday and implementing financial trade measures, effectively bringing an end to the bank panic that caused the Great Depression. Signed within his earliest days in office, these orders created the "First 100 Days" by which presidents are frequently judged.

     Roosevelt's controversial Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937, which would have allowed him to appoint six new Supreme Court justices, failed to gain enough support to pass. He had attempted to do this as the court struck down several New Deal programs. However, he managed to appoint a record nine justices between 1937 and 1943, some of whom served until 1975. 

     However, on April 3rd, he was able to sign the Reorganization Act of 1939, which created the Executive Office of the President. Roosevelt's actions, while controversial, created the modern presidency and guided the nation through a series of crises. His election to four terms is, in itself, unprecedented.