A Storied Lineage: The Roosevelt Roots
I adore stories of personal victories and historical grandeur, like threads in a tapestry. Born October 26, 1959, Laura Delano Roosevelt represents this combination. Her name is associated with leadership and reform as a descendant of one of America’s most famous presidents. Her grandpa, Franklin D. Roosevelt, led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II from 1933 to 1945. His wife Eleanor Roosevelt, born in 1884 and died in 1962, championed human rights.
Laura’s father, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., was born in 1914 and died in 1988. He was a U.S. Representative for New York, Under Secretary of Commerce from 1963 to 1965, and the first head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under President Lyndon B. Johnson. His repeated marriages complicated the family dynamic. His second marriage to Suzanne Perrin, a 1921 landscape designer who died in 2022, produced Laura. After divorcing Franklin Jr. in 1970, Suzanne wedded space-policy analyst Erasmus Helm Kloman.
Laura’s childhood in Greenwich, Connecticut, was a mix of affluence and turmoil due to her family. A gilded cage where money and status coexisted with silent difficulties. She was raised with her full sister, Nancy Suzanne Roosevelt, now Nancy Roosevelt Ireland, who was Laura’s matron of honor and mother of Julia Delano and Perrin Roosevelt Ireland.
Siblings and Extended Kin: Branches of the Family Tree
Diving deeper into Laura’s siblings reveals a mosaic of half-relations shaped by her father’s varied life. From his first marriage to Ethel du Pont, which spanned 1937 to 1949, came two half-brothers: Franklin Delano Roosevelt III, born in 1938, who pursued careers as a lawyer, professor, and writer; and Christopher du Pont Roosevelt, born in 1941. Later, from Franklin Jr.’s marriage to Patricia Luisa Oakes between 1977 and 1981, arrived John Alexander Roosevelt in 1977.
These connections extend further. John Aspinwall Roosevelt, born in 1916 and dying in 1981, served as an uncle figure in the broader family narrative. Phoebe Louisa Roosevelt appears in the lineage as an aunt, linking to even wider branches. Cousins like Sara Delano Roosevelt Wilford, born in 1932 and passing in 2021, add to the intricate web. I see this family as a mighty oak, its roots delving into American history, with branches reaching into politics, finance, and society.
To visualize this, here’s a simplified family tree table:
| Relationship | Name | Birth-Death Years | Notable Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grandfather | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 1882-1945 | 32nd U.S. President |
| Grandmother | Eleanor Roosevelt | 1884-1962 | Human rights advocate |
| Father | Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. | 1914-1988 | U.S. Representative, EEOC Chairman |
| Mother | Suzanne Perrin (later Kloman) | 1921-2022 | Landscape designer |
| Full Sister | Nancy Suzanne Roosevelt (Ireland) | N/A | Mother of Julia and Perrin Ireland |
| Half-Brother | Franklin Delano Roosevelt III | 1938- | Lawyer, professor, writer |
| Half-Brother | Christopher du Pont Roosevelt | 1941- | N/A |
| Half-Brother | John Alexander Roosevelt | 1977- | N/A |
| Uncle | John Aspinwall Roosevelt | 1916-1981 | N/A |
| Aunt | Phoebe Louisa Roosevelt | N/A | Extended family link |
| Cousin | Sara Delano Roosevelt Wilford | 1932-2021 | N/A |
This table captures the essence of her immediate and extended relations, highlighting how the Roosevelt name persists across generations.
Personal Bonds: Marriage and Immediate Circle
Laura’s personal life took a significant turn on January 21, 1990, when she married Dr. Charles Henry Silberstein at the Colony Club in New York City. The ceremony, officiated by Acting Justice Shirley Fingerhood, marked the union with a psychiatrist then completing his residency at Payne Whitney Clinic, part of New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Charles, son of psychiatrist Dr. Richard M. Silberstein and artist Muriel Silberstein Storfer, brought his own professional depth to the partnership. Laura chose to retain her maiden name, a quiet assertion of identity.
They built a life in Connecticut, raising children whose details remain private, shielded from public scrutiny. I picture their home as a sanctuary, a contrast to the stormy seas of her earlier years. Her sister Nancy stood by her side as matron of honor, underscoring the close sibling bond. These relationships form the core of Laura’s support system, grounding her amid her activist pursuits.
From Privilege to Purpose: Education and Early Career
Laura’s journey through education and career reflects a phoenix rising from ashes. She attended the prestigious Madeira School in the early 1980s, excelling as class president with straight A’s and even achieving a national ranking in squash. From there, she moved to the University of Virginia, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. Her academic prowess continued at Harvard University and culminated in a master’s degree in public and private management from Yale.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she entered the corporate world as an assistant vice president and treasurer at Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, now JPMorgan Chase. There, she coordinated charitable contributions to the arts, blending finance with philanthropy. Yet, beneath this polished exterior simmered personal challenges. At age 14 in 1974, she first visited a psychiatrist, receiving a bipolar diagnosis and prescriptions for mood stabilizers and antidepressants. The 1980s intensified her struggles: multiple diagnoses including depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, and borderline personality disorder. She navigated up to 19 medications and a suicide attempt around age 27 in 1986 or 1987.
Labeled “treatment resistant” in the 2000s, her path shifted dramatically in 2010 when she tapered off all psychiatric drugs. This rebirth propelled her into advocacy.
Advocacy and Achievements: Pioneering Mental Health Reform
Post-2010, Laura transformed her experiences into a force for change. She immersed herself in community mental health, advocating in emergency rooms, hospitals, and group homes. As a consultant, she guided individuals and families on psychiatric drug withdrawal, emphasizing safer tapering for professionals.
In 2018, she founded the Inner Compass Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to informed choices about psychiatric diagnoses, medications, and withdrawal. It fosters community alternatives to traditional mental health systems, not outright anti-medication but focused on empowerment. Alongside, she launched The Withdrawal Project, amplifying her mission.
Her voice resonates through writing and speaking. Blogs and personal sites from 2011 to 2017 laid the groundwork. Then came her memoir, Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance, published by Viking in March 2025. This 300-plus-page account details her 14-year odyssey in the psychiatric system and her medication-free life. Interviews in outlets like The New Yorker, Mad in America, and Psychology Today position her as a leader in psychiatric survivor movements.
On social media, under @LauraDelano on X (formerly Twitter), she engages around 10,000 followers with posts on psych meds, withdrawal, and initiative updates. Her work sparks debates, bridging anti-psychiatry and pro-medication perspectives.
Timeline of Transformation: Key Milestones
To trace her evolution, consider this extended timeline:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1959 | Born October 26 in Greenwich, CT |
| 1970 | Parents divorce; mother remarries |
| 1974 | First psychiatrist visit at age 14; bipolar diagnosis |
| Early 1980s | Attends Madeira School; University of Virginia |
| 1980s | Harvard studies; intensified mental health struggles; up to 19 meds; suicide attempt at 27 |
| Late 1980s | Yale master’s; career at Morgan Guaranty Trust |
| 1990 | Marries Charles Henry Silberstein on January 21 |
| 2000s | Continued treatment; “treatment resistant” label |
| 2010 | Tapers off all drugs; becomes “ex-patient” |
| 2011-2017 | Community work; consulting; blogging |
| 2018 | Founds Inner Compass Initiative |
| 2022 | Mother Suzanne Kloman dies at age 101 |
| 2025 | Publishes Unshrunk in March; media coverage |
This chronology underscores her shift from inherited legacy to self-forged purpose.
FAQ
Who is Laura Delano Roosevelt’s husband?
Dr. Charles Henry Silberstein, a psychiatrist, married Laura in 1990. They reside in Connecticut with their children.
What is the Inner Compass Initiative?
Founded by Laura in 2018, it’s a nonprofit supporting informed decisions on psychiatric care, withdrawal, and community alternatives.
How is Laura connected to President Franklin D. Roosevelt?
She is his granddaughter through her father, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., the president’s third son.
What inspired Laura’s activism?
Her 14-year experience in the psychiatric system, including multiple diagnoses and medications, followed by successful tapering in 2010.
When was Laura’s memoir published?
Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance released in March 2025, chronicling her journey.
