This bronze bust of Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962) commemorates an exceptional woman who dedicated her life to advocating for the rights and needs of many people including poor, minority, and disadvantaged people. She was an American diplomat, humanitarian and First Lady. 

The bust was made by architect, sculptor, and muralist, Eric Gugler (1889 – 1974), who befriended Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1920s. A specialist in monuments and public buildings, Gugler oversaw the expansion and reconstruction of the West Wing of the White House during FDR’s presidency. He also made the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Block outside the National Archives Building and the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Bench in the United Nations gardens

AHRC New York City, an organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, gifted the Bust of Eleanor Roosevelt to the United Nations in 1964.

After being First Lady of the United States of America, Roosevelt served as the first Chairperson of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which she considered “her most important task.” She played an instrumental role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the General Assembly in 1948. Roosevelt believed “…the United Nations to be the one hope for a peaceful world.” 

Secretary-General U Thant said of Eleanor Roosevelt: “that noble woman, who truly loved humanity, was, from the earliest years of the Organization until her death, a staunch believer in the United Nations and a commanding figure in its company.” In 1968, Eleanor Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize.