FDR at Jefferson Island, June 26th, 1937. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945) was the 32nd President of the US (1933-45) and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the US during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war. The only American president elected to more than two terms, he facilitated a durable coalition that realigned American politics for decades. With the popular song "Happy Days Are Here Again" as his campaign theme, FDR defeated incumbent Republican Hoover in 1932, at the depth of the Great Depression. FDR's persistent optimism and activism contributed to a renewal of the national spirit, reflecting his victory over paralytic illness to become the longest serving president in US history. As an active military leader, he implemented a war strategy on two fronts that ended in the defeat of the Axis Powers, and he initiated the development of the world's first atomic bomb. He worked closely with Churchill, Stalin and Kai-shek in leading the Allies against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan in WWII, but died just as victory was in sight. On April 12, 1945 he suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage and died at the age of 63. His death was met with shock and grief across America and around the world.