Delano, Frederic Adrian, 1863-1953

Army officer and railroad officer.

Frederic Adrian Delano (1863-1953), uncle of Franklin D. Roosevelt, was born in Hong Kong, China. His father, Warren Delano, II, was at that time a partner in the shipping firm of Russell and Company based in that city. A few years later the Delano family returned to Algonac, the family home near Newburgh, New York, and Delano spent much of his childhood there. After graduating from Harvard University in 1885, Delano began a railroad career as an apprentice machinist with the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad. He eventually became General Manager of the company, serving in that position from 1901 through 1904. In 1905, he was named president of the Wabash Railroad. In January 1914, he assumed the presidency of the Monon Railroad. Resigning that position on August 10, 1914, he accepted appointment to a six-year term on the Federal Reserve Board. He resigned as Vice-Chairman of the Board in 1918, and entered the army as a Major in the U.S. Engineering Corps. He served as director of transportation at Paris, France, attaining the rank of Colonel. In 1921, the United States Government awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal for his wartime service. The Supreme Court of the United States named Mr. Delano as Receiver in the Red River Boundry Case (Oklahoma v. Texas) in April 1920 and he served in that capacity until the court issued its final decree on June 1, 1925. The following December he was appointed President of the League of Nations Commission of Enquiry into Production of Opium in Persia. In 1926, the Commission visited Persia to survey the local economy with the aim of proposing financial substitute for the production of opium. Frederic A. Delano also had a deep interest in the field of city planning and was a member of the Chicago Plan Commission during his residence in that city prior to 1914. After moving to Washington in 1914, he became involved in many planning activities in the District of Columbia. President Calvin Coolidge appointed him President of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission in 1927, and in 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt named him Chairman of the National Resources Planning Commission, a position that he held for ten years. He also served as President of the American Planning and Civic Association for a number of years. Delano gave much of his time to civic affairs throughout his life. He served as a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution and a trustee of the Carnegie Institution and also had interests in a number of other organizations. He was the author of many articles on subjects diverse as railroad transportation, monetary policy, and city planning.

City planner.

Delano was uncle of Franklin D. Roosevelt; served as a Transportation Corps officer during World War I; member and chairman of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission, 1924-1942; and chairman, 1938-1941, of the National Resources Planning Board.