FDR and The March of Dimes
By Edward I. Bloom
When Franklin Roosevelt contracted infantile paralysis (polio) in 1921, very little was known about its cause, treatment,
or potential for a cure. The best medical advice available was
to base treatment on a regimen of hot compresses, massages,
and gentle exercise of the afflicted areas. Searching for anything that might assist in even a partial recovery, Roosevelt
heard of the healing properties of the hot mineral waters at
Warm Springs, Georgia. He went there and found a tiny village with an old hotel near the famous springs. He felt that
the waters did have a beneficial effect, perhaps out of wishful
thinking, and arranged to buy the entire property. This led to
the establishment of the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation
in 1927, supported in part through solicited private donations
given at Birthday Balls hosted by FDR on the anniversary of
his birthday, January 30. The purpose of the Foundation was
to support pioneering research in physical therapy and water
treatments for polio victims.
On September 23, 1937, FDR issued a presidential proclamation announcing the creation of the National Foundation
for Infantile Paralysis, to carry on the fight against polio on
a nation-wide basis. This inspired entertainer Eddie CanFDR enjoying a therapeutic swim in Warm Springs
tor to organize a national fund raising campaign for the next
Birthday Balls in California. Meeting with Hollywood studio executives in November, Cantor proposed a 30-second national radio spot asking the public to send dimes and other
small dontions directly to the White House to support the new foundation. In a take-off on the well-known The March
of Time newsreels, Cantor came up with the catchy phrase “March of Dimes” that captured the public’s imagination.
The three major radio networks agreed to donate the air time
for the cause, and the first broadcast for the March of Dimes
was aired during the week preceding the 1938 Birthday Balls.
Famous entertainers, including Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, Rudy
Vallee, Kate Smith, and Edgar Bergen, lent their names and
prestige to the campaign. In the first days following the broadcasts a mere $17.50 in small coins had been received at the
White House. By January 29, letters with dimes and dollars
had flooded the White House mailroom; so many that the actual
number of envelopes could only be estimated by the number of
mailbags delivered.
The March of Dimes provided the funds that allowed the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis to begin organized research into the cause and possible cure for polio. With the support of the Foundation, Dr. Jonas Salk was able to announce the
success of his new vaccine for polio in 1955, ten years after the
death of FDR. Today, the number of new cases of polio in the
United States is so few that the disease is virtually non-existent.
FDR and Eddie Cantor, 1938
Elvis Presley - 1959 “Poster Boy”
Sources: March of Dimes Archives – David Rose
A First Class Temperament – Geoffrey C. Ward
FDR – Jean Edward Smith