Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563 of 564

remember who, beside Roosevelt, whom I met in the government called me Frances. Senator Wagner did occasionally, but that was fresh. I had known him for years, but I hadn't known him on those terms. I hadn't known him on first name terms. It was only after this business of calling first names began that it ever occurred to Senator Wagner to call me Frances. Before that he always called me Miss Perkins.

Roosevelt began quite early charming his way through Washington social life by getting on first name terms with people. That was his own idea. It wasn't anybody else's. It was his own idea. I don't know whether he had a deliberate attitude about it or what. He dropped into the habit very readily. He did that even while he was Governor. He was always calling people by their first names. I think it was a personal habit. He did it more than other people do. Nobody reciprocated. You don't call a Governor of a President by his first name.

When I wrote a book about Roosevelt, and had to think deeply about the inner springs of his nature and remembered his early days and how sort of snooty he looked, it seemed more logical to me. Everybody thought he was snooty. Everybody thought he was awfully arrogant. When I say “everybody,” I mean the common herd, The people who served in the New York State Senate with him would no more have