He was the top male box office attraction at the movies, one of the
most widely read newspaper columnists in America, a radio
commentator with an audience of more than 60 million, and a
globetrotting speaker who filled lecture halls across the land. But
how did humorist Will Rogers also become one of the most powerful
political figures of his day? From just before World War I, through
the Roaring Twenties, Prohibition, and the Great Depression, Rogers
provided a refreshing yet sobering appraisal of current events and
public policy. Through him, millions formed their opinion of
President Wilson's quest for a League of Nations, debated freedom
of speech and religion during the Scopes Monkey Trial, questioned
the success of several disarmament conferences, took pity upon the
sufferers of the Great Flood of 1927, and tried to grasp the awful
reality of the Great Depression. Rogers visited Washington often to
attend congressional sessions and official receptions, testify at
hearings, meet with cabinet officers, and speak at the exclusive
Gridiron and Alfalfa Clubs. His open access to the Oval Office, the
Senate cloakroom, and other inner sancta of national power was
unmatched for someone not holding public office. In this
groundbreaking biography Richard D. White argues that the nation's
most popular entertainer was not only an incisive political
commentator but also a significant influence upon national leaders
and their decisions. When Will Rogers perished in a plane crash in
Alaska in 1935, Americans lost their most popular and beloved
humorist, a man who put smiles on their faces, took their minds off
war and depression and, for a moment, allowed them to laugh at his
cracker-barrel humor and ultimately themselves. But Americans also
lost their most trusted source of reason, a man who, more than any
other, broke down the complex issues of the day and gave them a
critically honest appraisal of American politics and world affairs.
General
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