In 1924 , Howe and Eleanor collaborated to arrange for Franklin to give the speech to nominate New York governor Alfred E. Smith as a presidential candidate at the 1924 Democratic National Convention . Franklin initially felt the idea was too risky , knowing that if he fell down before the convention due to his limited mobility , his political career would be effectively over , but Howe and Eleanor persuaded him to attempt it . When the convention came , Franklin successfully walked to the podium with the aid of crutches and his son James Roosevelt and received an ovation from the crowd . The walk to the podium and Franklin 's speech , in which he famously nicknamed Smith the " Happy Warrior , " has been regarded by later historians as the key moment in Franklin 's political resurgence
1924 Democratic National Convention
1924 Democratic National Convention
Louis Howe