My Presidential Biographies, Part 1: Washington to Buchanan

We had a presidential inauguration this week and that had me thinking about the Presidents of the United States and the role they played in igniting my life-long love affair with history. It began with the Presidents back many years ago when I was in Kindergarten (yes, there is a story, but I will not relate it here). My nerd credentials were established early on. Since that time I have read many books dealing with individual presidents, presidential campaigns, and the like. Perusing my bookshelves, I see quite a few presidential titles. If you have read this far and feel at all curious as to what I have read (and might be looking for some recommendations), I can provide a list, along with some commentary. Changes in my political perspective have caused me to re-evaluate a number of the presidents. Some of the books I found to be more inciteful than others. I am splitting up the list into multiple posts in order to not make things interminable for my readers. Books pertaining to specific elections get included where appropriate. And, having several books with short biographies of the Presidents, I do have other biographical sources to draw on, which, in some instances, are the only ones that I have. So, here goes:

GEORGE WASHINGTON

 

Yes, he was a slave-owning member of the Virginia aristocracy. But, in terms of his approach to political leadership, he was sort of the anti-Trump. 

George Washington: Soldier and Man by North Callahan

Mom got me this one for Christmas one year when I was in high school. It was appropriate for me at the time. Nothing challenging.

Washington: The Indespensable Man by James Thomas Flexner

A popular biography. Interesting and it humanizes the icon a bit.

General Washington's Christmas Farewell: A Mount Vernon Homecoming, 1783 by Stanley Weintraub

A big part of what made Washington a celebrated figure in his time was his willingness to step away from power following the success of the American Revolution. The story of his turning in his commission to Congress and returning to his home is at the center of this very readable and interesting account.

Cincinnatus: George Washington & the Enlightenment by Garry Wills

I like Wills' writing a great deal. Very enlightening with regard to Enlightenment perspectives on power and charismatic leadership in a republic. Even the artwork pertaining to Washington at the time provides insight. 

His Excellency George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis

Easy to read, by a solid biographer. No surprises.

Patriarch: George Washington and the New American Nation by Richard Norton Smith

A biography by a writer who typically took on twentieth century figures. He covers Washington's presidency and brief retirement very thoroughly.

Pending: George Washington by James MacGregor Burns and Susan Dunn from the The American Presidents series.

JOHN ADAMS

Our second President has become far more popular in recent times than he was in his own time. Definitely an interesting character - a classical conservative who found himself supporting a revolutionary cause. And he became the first President to seek and be defeated for re-election. 

John Adams: A Life by John Sterling

A good full-length biography. It set a standard for the popular McCullough biography to live up to, which you will see is pending.

Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams by Joseph J. Ellis

Yes, Ellis covered Adams as well as Washington. This book focuses on his long retirement after he was turned out of the presidency in the 1800 election.

Pending: John Adams by David McCullough

THOMAS JEFFERSON

In contrast to his political rival John Adams, who has gained in popularity in modern times, from my perspective no Founding Father has dropped more precipitously in popular esteem during my lifetime than Jefferson. The behaviors that fueled attacks from the Federalist press during his pursuit of the presidency and administration have come back to haunt him big time in 21st century America. His writings about all men being created equal don't fit with his slave owning and sexual exploitation of said slaves. Still an interesting and significant biographical subject. 

Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800 by John Ferling

A very readable account of the 1800 election which ultimately had to be settled in the House of Representatives due to an electoral tie between Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr.

Empire of Liberty: The Statecraft of Thomas Jefferson by Robert W. Tucker & David C. Hendrickson

A good and readable study dealing with the issues between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans during the 1790s, leading up to Jefferson's election. The successes and failures of the Jefferson Administration are discussed in depth. 

Pending: Thomas Jefferson by Joyce Appleby from the American Presidents series, Thomas Jefferson: A Life by Willard Sterne Randall

JAMES MADISON

Our most diminutive president in stature at 5'4", Madison shares most of the same negatives as Washington and Jefferson. The so-called "Father of the Constitution" since he kept the best notes at the Constitutional Convention, he went on to guide the Bill of Rights to Congressional approval. Jefferson's key ally, who served as his Secretary of State, he managed to be a wartime Commander in Chief at the time of the War of 1812 (aka Mr. Madison's War). 

James Madison: The Founding Father by Robert A. Rutland

A solid full biography of the fourth President.

JAMES MONROE

Not much to say about the fifth President, who finished off the Virginia Dynasty and benefited from the lack of a credible opposition party with the disintegration of the Federalists as a national force. Books about Monroe:

James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity by Harry Ammon

Another solid presidential biography.

Pending: The Presidency of James Monroe by Noble E. Cunningham, Jr.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

The first son of a President to achieve the office, Adams was an impressive intellectual who was an accomplished diplomat prior to reaching the White House and concluded his life of service to the nation as a member of the House of Representatives following his presidency.

John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life by Paul C. Nagel.

A very fine full biography of the sixth President.

I should add that both John and John Quincy are covered in Descent From Glory: Four Generations of the John Adams Family by Paul C. Nagel

ANDREW JACKSON

In many ways, the 19th century prototype for Donald Trump, Jackson has also fallen far out of favor in recent times. 

Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Empire 1767-1821, Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Freedom 1822-1832, Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Democracy 1833-1845 by Robert Remini

A very comprehensive three-volume biography of the seventh President. 

Andrew Jackson by Sean Wilentz from the American Presidents series

Wilentz provides a nuanced portrait of Jackson. 

Pending: American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham

MARTIN VAN BUREN

A clever and astute politician, he teamed with Andrew Jackson to create a formidable electoral coalition.

Martin Van Buren: The Romantic Age of American Politics by John Niven

A good, if sloppily edited, biography.

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON

Son of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Harrison rode a "log cabin and hard cider" campaign to out-populist the Democrats and deny Van Buren a second term. He is best known today for catching a cold at his inauguration, where he delivered the longest inaugural address (even after Daniel Webster edited it), that turned into pneumonia and led to his death after only a month in office.

I have only recently obtained a biography of the ninth President.

Pending: William Henry Harrison by Gail Collins from the American Presidents series.

JOHN TYLER 

The first vice-president to take over for a deceased president, Tyler set a lasting precedent (since codified in the 25th Amendment) by insisting that he was not an Acting President but had the full authority of the office (also insisting on taking the presidential oath). These were controversial actions at the time but set a lasting standard. Thus concludes my positive comments regarding President Tyler. He is also one of my least favorite presidents who strong-armed the annexation of Texas (resisted by anti-slavery Whigs), was cast out of the party for failing to support the Whig program, and he ended his life as a member of the Confederate Congress.

John Tyler: The Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol

A sympathetic biography of the tenth President. Very readable and persuasive if you agree with the author's pro-Tyler perspective.

JAMES POLK

When I was much younger I had a high opinion of the eleventh President, before I came to fully realize that this Jackson protege was a rampant expansionist who goaded the Mexicans into a wholly illegitimate war. He remains the only Speaker of the House to become president. 

James K. Polk by John Seigenthaler from the American Presidents series. 

A good short sketch of President Polk.

Pending: Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America by Walter R. Borneman

ZACHARY TAYLOR

A career soldier who was vaulted into prominence by the Mexican-American War, President Taylor was summed up by his biographer as "a man of limited emotional and intellectual capacity" who "was and remains an enigma". He also died in office in 1850, spurring a conspiracy theory as to his having been poisoned that led to his body being exhumed in 1991 and checked for evidence of arsenic poisoning. The answer came back that he had clearly not been poisoned but was more likely a victim of the poor sanitation and medical practices of the time in dealing with an attack of "acute gastroenteritis" after overindulging on raw cherries and iced milk on an extremely hot and humid July 4 in Washington (he died on July 9).

Zachary Taylor: Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old Southwest by K. Jack Bauer

A good, readable, and thorough bio of the twelfth President, containing the summation quoted above.

MILLARD FILLMORE

The 13th President long ago became a symbol of presidential mediocrity and is reviled now as having been the presidential nominee of the nativist American (aka Know Nothing) Party in 1856. Supported by conservative members of the defunct Whig Party at the time, he had little, if anything, to say about immigration, but was more interested in preservation of the union.

Pending: Millard Fillmore by Paul Finkelman from the American Presidents series.

FRANKLIN PIERCE

A northerner from New Hampshire who was sympathetic to the southern viewpoint on the national issues of the day (primarily slavery and states' rights), Pierce handled the crisis in Kansas especially poorly and was unable to gain re-nomination in 1856. The first book that I will list under his successor, Buchanan, details the extent of his administration's failure with regard to "Bleeding Kansas".

Pending: Franklin Pierce by Michael F. Holt from the American Presidents series.

JAMES BUCHANAN

Was the bachelor James Buchanan our first gay president? Maybe, but his biographer Jean H. Baker thinks that he was likely more asexual than homosexual. Hard to say without use of a time machine. His relationship with Senator William King raised eyebrows at the time. Another southern-sympathizing northerner, his presidency helped pave the way for secession and disunion, aided and abetted by southerners in his cabinet.

America in 1857: A Nation on the Brink by Kenneth M. Stampp

A very interesting book that details President Pierce's political failings (as I alluded to above) and Buchanan's inadequate response. I recommend it to anyone interested in that time period.

James Buchanan by Jean H. Baker from the American Presidents series.

Very interesting and makes clear the failings of his presidency, if not clarifying his sexual orientation.

Thus concludes Part 1. Part 2, leading off with Lincoln, will follow in due course.