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'''Harry Lloyd Hopkins''' (August 17 1890 – January 29 1946) was a close advisor to President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] and was frequently known as the Assistant President. The President referred to him as Harry the Hop. While working in the White House, Hopkins is not known to have recieved any pay or to have been a federal employee.
'''Harry Lloyd Hopkins''' (August 17 1890 – January 29 1946) was a close advisor to President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] and was frequently known as the Assistant President. The President referred to him as Harry the Hop. While working in the White House, Hopkins is not known to have recieved any pay or to have been a federal employee.
==New Deal==
==Personal life==
Hopkins married as a young man a fellow welfare worker. They had three sons. In 1930 his wife filed suit against him for divorce in New York State, the charge being infidelity. She secured the divorce and an order for the payment of $5,000 a year in alimony. Hopkins was making $10,000 a year at the time. Shortly after the divorce, he took a second wife. He became WPA Administrator at a salary of $10,000 a year. Marquis W. Childs, in an article in the ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'' of April 19 and 26, 1941, said Hopkins was hard pressed for funds under the circumstances and was having a difficult time meeting the alimony payments to his first wife. To cure this situation, social workers were brought together to raise a fund of $5,000 a year to take care of Hopkins' alimony. A number of small salaried little social welfare workers were assessed to pay Hopkins' obligation to support his children. In theory the money was collected to pay him for lectures. This arrangement went on for two years. Then in January, 1936, his salary was raised to $12,000 and the welfare workers were relieved of the burden of Hopkins' alimony.
Hopkins married as a young man a fellow welfare worker. They had three sons. In 1930 his wife filed suit against him for divorce in New York State, the charge being infidelity. She secured the divorce and an order for the payment of $5,000 a year in alimony. Hopkins was making $10,000 a year at the time. Shortly after the divorce, he took a second wife. He became WPA Administrator at a salary of $10,000 a year. Marquis W. Childs, in an article in the ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'' of April 19 and 26, 1941, said Hopkins was hard pressed for funds under the circumstances and was having a difficult time meeting the alimony payments to his first wife. To cure this situation, social workers were brought together to raise a fund of $5,000 a year to take care of Hopkins' alimony. A number of small salaried little social welfare workers were assessed to pay Hopkins' obligation to support his children. In theory the money was collected to pay him for lectures. This arrangement went on for two years. Then in January, 1936, his salary was raised to $12,000 and the welfare workers were relieved of the burden of Hopkins' alimony.
Childs relates in the same article, that during those WPA days, Hopkins, who was so pressed for funds was, with the men around him, playing poker with losses so stiff they ran to $500 or $600 an evening and that he found the time and the means to spend weekends in the homes wealthy friends and to make frequent visits to the race tracks at Saratoga, Pimlico and Warrenton. ''[[Life magazine]]'' has printed much the same stories about him.
Childs relates in the same article, that during those WPA days, Hopkins, who was so pressed for funds was, with the men around him, playing poker with losses so stiff they ran to $500 or $600 an evening and that he found the time and the means to spend weekends in the homes wealthy friends and to make frequent visits to the race tracks at Saratoga, Pimlico and Warrenton. ''[[Life magazine]]'' has printed much the same stories about him.
==New Deal==
When Roosevelt became President and wanted a Federal Emergency Relief Administrator he named Harry Hopkins to this post at Mrs. Roosevelt's urging. Hopkins convinced the President on the idea of a relief program by means of grants-in-aid to the states. The [[National Recovery Act]] (NRA) had given Roosevelt $3,300,000,000 to spend. As soon as Roosevelt got hold of this $3,300,000,000, congressmen, senators, mayors, governors, chambers of commerce, charity organizations from every state and city began requesting money. Roosevelt thought the NRA was going to bring prosperity quickly, but at the end of July he put Hopkins in charge of the [[Civil Works Administration]] (CWA). In short order Harry had a vast army pulling weeds and raking leaves. He told the President: "I've got four million at work but for God's sake, don't ask me what they are doing."
The CWA developed a reputation very quickly as a leaf raking agency and so it was reorganized into the [[Works Progress Administration]] (WPA). Hopkins estimated that 25 million people got their living from Works Progress Administration alone.
==Mission to Moscow==
==Mission to Moscow==