Beau of the Fifth Column is a moniker that was first given to Roosevelt by General George Patton who declared, “That’s our old work horse. Old Beau! When he whinnies, don’t say no.”
Roosevelt had his own name for himself. He would often refer to himself as “Old Four Eyes” because he needed glasses at an early age and also because of the horse riding accident which cost him a piece of one eye at midlife.
The origins of this nickname are unclear, but it was most often used in reference to his middle son James and then subsequently applied to both James and Franklin Jr when they were called back into service during WWII.