Sold – Franklin Roosevelt’s Bedrock Philosophy: “Right will succeed in the end.”

As a young New York state senator, Roosevelt allied himself firmly with reform elements in his party. In 1912, he supported Woodrow Wilson’s candidacy at the Democratic National Convention and waged a vigorous campaign for Wilson in the general election.

As a reward for his support, Wilson appointed Roosevelt Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1913, a position he held throughout World War I. He was an energetic, efficient and successful administrator, so much so that Wilson took him to the Versailles peace conference as an advisor. FDR admired and respected Wilson, who had taken the young Roosevelt under his wing; in later years, Roosevelt would often refer to Wilson as the “great war chief.” FDR was also proud of his own role in the war, a role that helped prepare him for the challenges he would face as President of the United States just over a decade later.

Oglethorpe University is a private institution of higher learning located in Atlanta. In 1932, FDR would deliver a historic commencement address there, promising if elected president to take active, vigorous steps to fight the Depression. His words became a rallying cry – "This country needs, and unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something." His interest in Oglethorpe predated this famous speech, however, as in 1923 he donated to its library a book about his beloved mentor: Woodrow Wilson’s Administration and Achievements. The subtitle explains the book’s contents –“Being a compilation from the newspaper press of eight years of the world’s greatest history, particularly as concerns America, its people and their affairs”. The authors were James William Bryan, a publisher, and Frank B. Lord, a newspaperman, both of whom were Democrats and delegates to Democratic National Conventions during the 1920-1932 era. It is a thin cloth-cover book of 100 pages illustrated with photographs and drawings; chapters include such topics as Foreign Policies, The United States in the War, Peace Conference and Treaty, andWoodow Wilson’s Place in History.Also contained are excerpts from Wilson’s speeches.

But it is FDR’s inscription that makes the book of compelling interest, as he has signed it on the front endpaper with a quotation.

Autograph quotation signed. "Presented to Ogelthorpe University Library by Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1923. ‘Right will succeed in the end.’”This is the only signed quotation of Roosevelt that we have ever seen, and its words are laden with significance.

The confidence, optimism and even determination FDR exhibits here are the very qualities that allowed him to inspire those same emotions in the American people, as he led them first in the successful fight against the Depression and then again in the successful fight against Fascist enslavement. In fact, the words he used in 1923 in this book containing Woodrow Wilson’s war message to Congress on April 2, 1917 are reminiscent of those in his own war message to Congress on December 8, 1941, when he confidently promised that the “the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.” The Oglethorpe University Library confirms that they once owned this book but de-accessioned it some years ago.