Zurich Donates FDR Desk in Honor of 100-Year Anniversary

This President’s Day, Zurich, a leading provider of property and casualty insurance in North America and globally, will recognize and celebrate the little-known business career of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In honor of its 100-year anniversary in the United States, Zurich will commemorate FDR's legacy by donating his former desk to the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York. By donating his desk, Zurich plans to shed light on FDR’s substantial career in the insurance industry.

Before being elected governor of New York, and eventually president, FDR worked as an insurance executive for eight years. Fidelity & Deposit Company of Maryland Chairman Van Lear Black commissioned Roosevelt to serve as a vice president of his company during the last week of December 1920. He officially accepted the position and began work at the Broadway office the following week. Black was certain that F&D could make significant headway in the market with Roosevelt onboard. From 1920 through 1928, FDR served as a VP and board member of Fidelity & Deposit, now a Zurich owned company.

The desk will be on display at the FDR Library and Museum in 2013 along with multiple documents from his eight years at F&D. A handwritten, signed letter, a photo of FDR on December 29, 1928 and the original newspaper article announcing his employment will also be donated by Zurich.