The idea of an American political aristocracy achieved through the
electorate after the manner of the seemingly hereditary seats in
the English Parliament has exerted endless fascination on
historians and biographers at the popular reading level. The
Adamses, the Roosevelts, the Harrisons, the Tafts, the Lodges and,
latterly, the Kennedys, have all been thoroughly discussed at
greater length elsewhere. Although these families are included, the
real difference of this book as compared to others of its kind lies
in the number of less well known, less flamboyant families which
have fettered themselves (and/or the public) with government
service. Mr. Hess writes in a journalistic style with recourse to
some workworn phrases that ought to be retired. However, his
material is essentially interesting and he pays attention to the
things the ordinary reader would like to know: how our political
dynasties rose, how they petered out and the prospects for any of
them rising again. The Muhlenbergs, the Bayards, the
Frelinghuysens, the Tuckers and the Stocktons are described and
examined for achievement and talent vs. nepotism and
voter-habituation. What has started with power drive or money often
leads, in the next generation, to money or more money, concomitant
power and a tradition of public office. There is a strong "Where
are they now?" reader interest catered to here and two appendices
charting the offices held by political dynasties and families with
three or more members of Congress. (Kirkus Reviews)
This is the 30th anniversary edition of a book that was hailed
on publication in 1966 as "fascinating" by Margaret L. Coit in the
Saturday Review and as "masterly" by Henry F. Graff in the New York
Times Book Review.
The Constitution could not be more specific: "No title of
nobility shall be granted by the United States." Yet, in over two
centuries since these words were written, the American people,
despite official disapproval, have chosen a political nobility. For
generation after generation they have turned for leadership to
certain families. They are America's political dynasties. Now, in
the twentieth century, surprisingly, American political life seems
to be largely peopled by those who qualify, in Stewart Alsop's
phrase, as "People's Dukes." They are all around us--Kennedys,
Longs, Tafts, Roosevelts.
Here is the panorama of America's political dynasties from
colonial days to the present in fascinating profiles of sixteen of
the leading families. Some, like the Roosevelts, have shown
remarkable staying power. Others are all but forgotten, such as the
Washburns, a family in which four sons of a bankrupt shopkeeper
were elected to Congress from four different states. America's
Political Dynasties investigates the roles of these families in
shaping the nation and traces the whole pattern of political
inheritance, which has been a little considered but unique and
significant feature of American government and diplomacy. And in
doing so, it also illuminates the lives and personalities of some
two hundred often engaging, usually ambitious, sometimes brilliant,
occasionally unscrupulous individuals.
General
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