The leader of the United States during the Great Depression was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). He assumed office in 1933 and implemented the New Deal, a series of programs and policies aimed at recovery from the economic crisis. Roosevelt's leadership was characterized by active government intervention in the economy to create jobs, stabilize banks, and support agriculture. His fireside chats and communicative style helped reassure the American public amid widespread despair. FDR’s administration fundamentally reshaped the role of the federal government in economic and social policy, leaving a lasting legacy that influenced future government responses to economic turmoil.