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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
1936 Ford Phaeton
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

1936 Ford Phaeton

Artifact IDMO 1947.70.1
Object Type Automobile
Maker (American, founded 1903)
Date1936
Mediummetal, rubber, chrome, leather, bakelite, glass, fabric, canvas, wood, paint
Dimensionsoverall (height with top down) H 63 in x W 70 in x D 182 in (160 cm x 177.8 cm x 462.3 cm )
Physical DescriptionA specially equipped 1936 blue 4-door Ford Phaeton convertible sedan with license plate: 1945 N Y / 3.

At the front of the car is a chrome Ford V8 symbol as a hood ornament, a large grill, and two round headlights. At the rear of the car is the spare tire with a metal tire cover with the Ford symbol; the license plate on the driver's side; a gas cap on the driver's side, and two red rear brake lights. There are four non-original Firestone Champion whitewall tires with the Ford V8 symbol on the metal rims. The canvas roof folds down to the back, has one glass window at the rear and no side windows (leaving the sides exposed). There is one windshield wiper on the driver's side with the mechanical controls for it fixed to the top of the driver's side of the windshield.

On the interior, the steering wheel has a chrome and Bakelite center with a Ford V8 symbol. The dashboard has three gauges -- oil/fuel, speedometer, and temp./amp. -- as well as two knobs for the throttle and the choke. The start button is on the left. A metal cigarette dispenser is fixed to the steering wheel shaft with a button to light the dispensed cigarette. The bench style seats in the front and back are covered in brown leather. There is a black rubber floor mat on the floor of the back seat. On the passenger's side is a glove compartment in which is a small cardboard box labeled: Self Closing Monkey Link. To the left of the glove compartment is a St. Christopher medal fixed to the dash.


Historical NotePresident Roosevelt enjoyed driving this 1936 Ford Phaeton convertible sedan whenever he was at Hyde Park. Specially modified to be operated with hand controls, it gave him the freedom to drive despite his disability. The controls were designed and installed by Fred Relyea, a mechanic in Poughkeepsie, New York. After FDR’s death, Eleanor Roosevelt used the car until late 1946, when she presented it to the Roosevelt Library and Museum. It had been driven 19,143 miles. It is on display in the BEHIND THE SCENES area of the FDR Library and Museum.

Additional Details
Custodial History NotePresented to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Eleanor Roosevelt on November 5, 1946.
Credit LineGift of Eleanor Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPersonal Possessions of the Roosevelt Family (National Archives Identifier 782689)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestricted
CopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
On view
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