The policies and persona of Franklin Delano Roosevelt set the cast of the "modern" presidency. He was unquestionably the most vital figure in the nation, and perhaps the world, during his 13 years in the White House. Engendering both admiration and scorn, FDR exerted unflinching leadership during the most tumultuous period in the nation's history since the Civil War. The longest-serving president in U.S. history, and leader through the Great Depression and World War II — two of the nation's wors