Public life · human rights · Former user · museum donor · not ownership

Eleanor Roosevelt

1936 Ford Phaeton convertible sedan

Blue 1936 Ford Phaeton used by Eleanor Roosevelt, displayed behind glass at the FDR Library and Museum.
The actual 1936 Ford Phaeton used by Eleanor Roosevelt after Franklin Roosevelt’s death, FDR Library artifact MO 1947.70.1, on museum display.Photo: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum; individual photographer not identified · Unrestricted copyright use per National Archives artifact record. Downloaded the museum’s 800 × 640 JPEG and serves it byte-for-byte. No crop, resize, retouching, generation or vehicle reconstruction; the displayed angle does not reveal the historic registration.
Eleanor Roosevelt in a July 1933 identification portrait.
Eleanor Roosevelt1933 · Identification portraitUnknown photographer / Library of Congress · Public domain in the United States · copyright not renewed. Joyride serves the current 940 × 1141 Commons JPEG byte-for-byte; Commons records an earlier crop and brightness adjustment. Joyride adds no crop, retouching or generation. A responsive frame may crop displayed edges.

She drove the family Ford, then placed it in the public collection

Connection
Former user · museum donor · not ownership
When
April 1945–late 1946
Identity
FDR Library artifact MO 1947.70.1 · 1936 blue four-door Ford Phaeton · hand and foot controls

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum identifies artifact MO 1947.70.1 as a blue 1936 Ford Phaeton convertible sedan. Fred Relyea, a mechanic in Poughkeepsie, added hand controls so Franklin Roosevelt could drive it. The museum’s record also notes ordinary foot controls, so another driver could operate the same car.

After Franklin Roosevelt died in April 1945, Eleanor Roosevelt used the Phaeton until late 1946. That is a documented use connection, not proof that she personally owned it. The museum records her later role more precisely: she presented the car to the Roosevelt Library and Museum on November 5, 1946.

The artifact record still holds the individual car and reports 19,143 miles. Joyride does not publish its historic registration or infer anything beyond the museum’s custody record. No exact 1936 Phaeton catalog profile or compatible driving entry exists, so this story does not link a broader Ford family as if it were the same version.

Documented custody

Where the car went next

  1. April 1945–late 1946Used by Eleanor Roosevelt

    The museum records that Eleanor Roosevelt used the hand-and-foot-control Phaeton after Franklin Roosevelt’s death.

  2. November 5, 1946Presented to the presidential library

    The museum’s custodial history records Eleanor Roosevelt’s gift of the exact car to the Roosevelt Library and Museum.

  3. Museum record reviewed October 4, 2026National Archives custody

    Artifact MO 1947.70.1 remains in the FDR Library and Museum collection and is listed as on permanent exhibit.

Follow the evidence

Sources for this story

The FDR Library and Museum establishes the exact artifact, 1936 Ford identity, hand and foot controls, Eleanor Roosevelt’s post-1945 use, her November 5, 1946 gift and present museum custody. It does not state that she owned the car, so Joyride records former use and donation—not personal ownership.

  • 1936 Ford PhaetonFranklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum / National Archives · Collection record reviewed 2026-10-04 · external source

    Artifact MO 1947.70.1, maker and 1936 identity, hand controls, Eleanor Roosevelt’s use through late 1946, November 5 gift, mileage, permanent-exhibit status and unrestricted image-use statement.

  • FDR’s 1936 Ford PhaetonU.S. National Park Service · 2020-03-13 · external source

    Fred Relyea’s hand-control installation, Eleanor Roosevelt’s post-1945 use through late 1946, presentation to the museum and 19,143-mile record.

Reviewed

Why this is the actual car
  • Photo identity evidence

    The FDR Library identifies the photographed museum artifact as MO 1947.70.1, the 1936 Ford Phaeton used by Eleanor Roosevelt and donated by her in 1946.

  • Photo identity evidence

    The National Park Service reproduces the museum identification and records Eleanor Roosevelt’s use of this car until late 1946.

The matching photographer, venue, date and vehicle history establish the identification; the chassis stamp is not visible in these photographs.