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Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd President of the United States during World War II and was instrumental in the formation of the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron.

FDR & JSA founding

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (New Earth) 002

FDR forms the JSA (Pre-Crisis).

On 9 November 1940, in response to Hitler's Operation Sea Lion, President Roosevelt directed his own intelligence agents, and their British counterparts in the U.S., to contact several "mystery men." With the help of the Gotham City police department, they were able to contact Green Lantern, and when the Flash hear a rumor about this, he spontaneously showed up at G.L.'s meeting with M.I.5 agent Smythe. He asked them to help with one part of this problem, and they went directly to Europe to do so. Meanwhile Doctor Fate was independently monitoring their expedition, and when the two super heroes ran into some serious trouble, Fate flew from Salem Massachusetts to New York City, to recruit Hourman's help, then flew them both to Europe.

On 10 November 1940, in Berlin, Green Lantern and the Flash were rescued from Adolf Hitler by Doctor Fate and Hourman, and Hitler used the Spear of Destiny to summon forth five Valkyries, and a prolonged battle ensued. During this fight, Doctor Fate transmitted four magical messages to the eastern United States, one apiece to: the Atom, Hawkman, the Sandman, and the Spectre. All four of them were magically transported to Dover England, the landing site of a gigantic invasion by German military forces. The Spectre annihilated most of these forces.

While this was going on, Hitler dispatched an experimental long-range bomber, to fly from Berlin to Washington, D.C., and obliterate that city. Hitler pulled the Valkyries away from their fight, to escort this super bomber on its critical mission. Suddenly unopposed, Fate's group hooked up with the Spectre's group in southern Britain. Notes were compared and then all eight heroes went in pursuit of the bomber and its mythological escorts. A transatlantic fight/chase continued the whole way across the ocean. The trip was magically expedited by the Spear of Destiny, and they had almost reached Washington before Green Lantern was able to destroy the bomber. The resulting explosion knocked out Green Lantern and scattered his allies.

The Atom very luckily landed on the White House lawn, and acting on a hunch, he sneaked into the White House, where he discovered Gudra the Valkyrie, and unsuccessfully attempted to prevent her from assassinating President Roosevelt, and got skewered in the process. Roosevelt died. Doctor Fate arrived moments too late, and engaged Gudra, but she simply vanished. Hourman checked on the Atom, who to his own amazement was inexplicably alive.

The Spectre traveled into the realm of the dead, and found Roosevelt's spirit marching along with many others, toward a blinding light. The Spectre had a very emotional conversation with the Voice of God, and at the end of it, the Voice allowed Roosevelt to return to Earth alive.

In the oval office, FDR asked the eight assembled mystery men if they would stay together, and Sandman and Hourman expressed some skepticism, Flash suggested some further discussion, Hawkman endorsed the idea, and the Spectre suggested the group's name: Justice Society of America. [1]

FDR would imprison US citizens without trial over their race.[2]

FDR & All-Star Squadron founding

On 7 December 1941, at the White House, the Atom, Doctor Mid-Nite, Hawkman, Johnny Quick, Liberty Belle, Plastic Man, and Robotman met with President Roosevelt, who told them about that day's Pearl Harbor attack, and asked them to mobilize all the costumed heroes they could find, to form an "All-Star Squadron," responsible to to no one but himself. Plastic Man was appointed as the team's FBI liasion, and their first mission was to fly to the west coast, to guard against any follow-up attacks.[3]

FDR & Commander Steel

Henry Heywood, Sr

FDR field-promotes Steel to "Commander" Steel.

After becoming Steel, Hank Heywood soon allied himself with the All-Star Squadron and was shortly later field commissioned "Commander Steel" by FDR.[4] Steel joined the All-Star Squadron for a brief period.[5]

FDR & Mister America

Mr. America was a member of the All-Star Squadron, but his main contribution to the war effort was more clandestine. Thomson was asked by President Roosevelt himself to go to Nazi Germany and infiltrate the Gestapo. Thomson took on the identity of Hauptmann Riker and began his mission. His most frequent adversaries were Mister Ito (also known as the Little One), a German/Japanese diminutive assassin, and the Queen Bee. He worked for the Americans for several years behind enemy lines.

FDR & Superman

During a lengthy time-travel adventure, after trying to save Booster Gold from the Linear Man, Superman witnessed FDR's wartime visit to Metropolis, simultaneously witnessing a Nazi assassin attempting to kill the president. Charging up to the president's hotel room, Superman unintentionally killed the assassin when the killer's bullet ricocheted off Superman's chest, striking the asassin in the heart. While the secret service were initially apprehensive at his arrival, Roosevelt believed the new arrival's assurance that he was just trying to save his life, noting that Superman's current feats of strength, such as crashing through a wall and crushing a pistol with his bare hands, showed that the secret service could only have stopped this man if he wanted to be stopped. As Superman shook Roosevelt's hand, the two men expressed their honor at the chance to meet with each other, Roosevelt suggesting that they could use a man of his power in the Justice Society. Inspired by this comment, Superman flew away to ask for their help in returning home, but wondered if he could have done anything to save Roosevelt from the cerebral hemorrhage that would later kill him.[6]


Abilities

Other Characteristics


  • This character is a fictional representation of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a real person. More information on this person can be found at Wikipedia.org.
  • In the Pre-Crisis Multiverse, Earth-Two and Earth-One each had a separate and distinct Roosevelt. On the Post-Crisis New Earth, those two characters were combined into one being.
  • In November 1940, President Roosevelt was killed with a spear by a Valkyrie, and was resurrected by the Voice of God.[7] He died again, of a stroke, on April 12, 1945.

Related

Footnotes



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Herbert Hoover
President of the United States
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Harry Truman


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