Political leaders and leadership Books

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Book SynopsisMy Brother Theodore Roosevelt is not a biography, it is not a political history of the times, although the author was most careful in her effort to record facts accurately, and carefully searched her memory before relating conversations or experiences. Robinson hopes this work will paint a clear picture of Roosevelt by one who was closest to him and one who knew his loyalty and tenderness of heart.

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Book SynopsisTheodore Roosevelt was a fascinating man. This autobiography, written a hundred years ago, presents his life and career from his own perspective.Table of ContentsPreface; Boyhood and Youth; The Vigor of Life; Practical Politics; In Cowboy Land; Applied Idealism; The New York Police; The War of America the Unready; The New York Governorship; Outdoors and Indoors; The Presidency; Making an Old Party Progressive; The Natural Resources of the Nation; The Big Stick and the Square Deal; Social and Industrial Justice; The Monroe Doctrine and the Panama Canal; The Peace of Righteousness; Index.

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Book SynopsisGeorge and Barbara Bush belonged to and were active members of a Houston church for more than 50 years. The rector of that church, Reverend Russell Jones Levenson, Jr., believes he was invited into private moments with these public individuals so he could serve as a witness: a witness to observe, and a witness to tell.With never-before shared correspondence, experiences, and personal stories, Levenson offers new insight into the Bushes' wit and wisdom; their commitment to family and friends; their tireless desire to bless the lives of others; and their steadfast loyalty to their church, their faith, and their God. Before embarking on writing this book on faith, Levenson sought and received the blessing of all the Bush children, including the 43rd president.Readers will laugh, cry, and be inspired as Levenson ponders how and why he was put in this unique pastoral position, asking questions like, "What on earth was I doing reading the sports section of the paper with the forty-first president, his cabinet member Brent Scowcroft, and a Chinese official on a breezy morning at Walker's Point in Kennebunkport, Maine?" Levenson writes with emotion about being with President Bush and Barbara Bush as they each took their last breaths on this earth. He then describes in full detail the surreal experience of planning a state funeral and giving a eulogy with other presidents in the front row. This is book is for readers who yearn for our public officials to serve with faith and integrity like the Bushes. But above all else, this book shows how powerful it is when world leaders are humbled before the power that rests above all powers.

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Book SynopsisFor much of British history, kings and queens have taken oaths on the Bible as they were coronated. Symbolically perhaps, President George Washington swore on an open Bible, establishing a new American tradition. For Washington, the Bible was opened at random, and many of his successors followed suit. Others have chosen specific verses or books of the Bible. The reasons for a particular choice are as varied as the men who have occupied the office. interestingly enough, more than twice as many have chosen Old Testament verses as New Testament ones, and the Psalms have been used more than any other book. Perhaps the position of the Psalms at the centre of many Bibles explains the choice; triumphant Presidents choosing joyful texts is another explanation. Every American president from Washington through Clinton is discussed.

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of the first three years of the Jackson presidency. The book covers other events in the United States during that period. Andrew Jackson himself is the focus of this work, but there were many actors on the national stage. Presidential attitudes toward the Native Americans shaped Indian policy. Jackson''s cabinet supported his ideas on money, politics, and other issues. This book gives a true understanding of President Jackson. The real Jackson was a man of controversy and different from the usual conception of a flawless president. This is a concise history of power, passion, romance and honour.

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Book SynopsisOne of the most beloved first ladies of all time, Dolley Madison was also, arguably the most well known and influential woman of her era. Presiding over the social affairs of both her husband''s two terms in the ''President''s House'' and Jefferson''s presidency, Dolley asserted her influence over the nation''s social affairs like no presidential spouse before or after her. From her heroic rescue of priceless items from the White House just minutes before the British set the building aflame in the War of 1812, to her redesign of the building for both political and social functionality, to her trend-setting but risqué taste in fashion, Dolley Madison remains one of the nation''s most fascinating public figures from history.

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Book SynopsisThe Middle East remains a veritable powder key after decades of peace processes, wars, accords, discords, agreements, disagreements, suicide bombings, retaliatory attacks, cease-fires, and resume fires. Although the root causes of the flaming conflict are not new, the leaders of the countries involved are a part and parcel of the current situation and its history. This book presents citations to the literature on some of the key players who have shaped the history of this incendiary region of the world.

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Book SynopsisBully First Lady - Edith Kermit Roosevelt

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Book SynopsisBetty Ford is remembered as one of the most outspoken and influential first ladies of all time. Although she entered into the White House during turbulent times, Mrs. Ford captivated a nation and provided them with someone they could trust. Serving immediately following the Watergate scandal meant that she would be subjected to greater scrutiny than most of her predecessors. Fortunately for the country, Mrs. Ford did not shy away from the challenge. Her positive attitude, candour, and honesty were refreshing remedies for an ailing nation and set the standard for the modern first lady. She championed many issues including alcohol and drug abuse, women''s rights, breast cancer awareness and other social concerns. This new biography sheds light on this charismatic first lady.

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Book SynopsisRecent interest in the wives of American Presidents has led to the rediscovery of many First Ladies whose public service and accomplishments had been forgotten. The prime example is Lou Henry Hoover, a vivacious woman with a thoroughly modern approach to life, an unquenchable zest for living, and a long-term dedication to public service that dated from the Spanish-American War. Lou Henry Hoover: A Prototype for First Ladies provides readers with their first in-depth examination of the adventure-filled life and numerous public services of this complex and fascinating First Lady. Readers will wonder how Lou Hoover could have become a forgotten First Lady when they discover references to her zest for living and extensive public service activities in contemporary newspaper accounts and letters. The reason for the obscure knowledge about this First Lady is there was no access to her papers, and historians also had tended to dismiss Mrs. Hoover as an aloof and uncaring First Lady who lacked purpose, mission, or audience. The fog began to lift when her personal and public papers became available to historians in 1985.

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Book SynopsisPresident of the United States of America is an official title sought by many and won by only a few individuals. The series entitled First Men, America''s President, contains a book length biography of each President of the United States of America. Every book contains information on the President''s early education, professional career, military or political service prior to the presidency, interpretative discussion of both domestic and foreign policies during each presidency, and the conclusion of their political lives in public service. The two major themes of this series are the character traits marking success in the presidency, and the changes in the office of presidents throughout America''s history. Character matters in all walks of life, but perhaps matters most within the character of the President of the United States.

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Book SynopsisIn modern times, some critics have belittled Abraham Lincoln''s antislavery resolve as shallow. Some have portrayed him as a passive president, waiting upon the bold initiatives of others. ''Citizen Lincoln'' regards him differently. First, it portrays Lincoln''s animus against slavery as rooted in the highest ideals of the American Revolution, which he saw as being corrupted in his own time. Second, it analyses Lincoln''s supposed ''passivity'' as more aptly defined as wise caution. Lincoln learned as a legislator, first in Illinois and later in the United States Congress, that bold initiatives often backfire and fail to fulfil original intentions. In the state legislature, Lincoln supported a dramatic internal-improvements project that collapsed in the midst of a national depression. Lincoln also boldly opposed the Mexican War in Congress, only to see his cause evaporate as soon as a peace treaty was drafted with Mexico. In both instances, his timing was faulty. He had rushed into taking rigid policy positions when greater caution would have reaped better results. But in both instances, he learned lessons that would hold him in good stead later. Lincoln as president was wisely cautious, knowing that bold action could only disrupt the delicate coalition that kept the Union cause moving forward to victory. Harriet Beecher Stowe described Lincoln''s unique strength as "swaying to every influence, yielding on this side and on that to popular needs, yet tenaciously and inflexibly bound to carry its great end". She wisely added that no other kind of strength could have seen the nation through the worst trial in its history. In filling this role, Abraham Lincoln fulfilled that which he had long regarded as his personal mission within the larger context of his nation''s providential destiny.

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Book SynopsisAs the first president, George Washington initiated a number of precedents and was conscious that he was establishing traditions. He also saw himself as a moral exemplar and lived his life as such, both personally and publicly. The Washington presidency created history, guided history, and preserved history. It also interpreted history, assimilated history, and used history. But above all, George Washington was inspirational and moved Americans to support great causes and ideals. The American Revolution, the Confederation government, the US Constitution, the republican and federalist national government, and the new nation all attest to his greatness and virtue. The Washington presidency set the standards high for all other presidents to follow. And his personal character represented America at its finest, reflecting what American presidents should be, indeed must be if the US is to continue to lead the world. The story of George Washington''s moral virtues and public presidential accomplishments is the story told herein.

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Book SynopsisThese essays represent attempts to understand presidential foreign policymaking in a new global context. Within the parameters of the metaphorical question our authors analyse the Atoms for Peace and Star Wars proposals of the Eisenhower and Reagan presidencies. They assess foreign policymaking in the William J Clinton and George W Bush administrations. They consider the impact of public opinion upon foreign policymaking and they comment upon US Mexican relations, the current state of intelligence activities and humanitarian non-intervention and the conflict in Liberia. They provide a rich and early analysis on these subjects. There is no definitive answer to the metaphorical question only increasingly complex shades of the metaphor developed by the authors. The authors provide questions for the future of foreign policymaking that are unresolved at present time. Our new era and environment provide challenges and opportunities but how this nation manages these depends, in large part, upon this and future presidential administrations.

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Book SynopsisThe primary purpose of this book is to investigate the various facets of the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a person who symbolised herself as an American icon for most of her adult life both before, during and after her years in the White House as the First Lady of the United States. The book also examines the early years of Jacqueline Kennedy in order to find out whether there were any traits in her personality that prepared her for the more challenging times which she had to endure in her later years. The book makes an honest attempt to touch upon the fascinating life Jacqueline Kennedy led which touched one and all crossing across various sections of American society. Through an organisation of ten chapters, the book covers Jackie''s life from her early childhood years in East Hampton, Long Island to the final days in Manhattan, New York City.

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Book SynopsisPresident of the United States of America is an official title sought by many and won by only a few individuals. The series entitled First Men, America''s President, contains a book length biography of each President of the United States of America. Every book contains information on the President''s early education, professional career, military or political service prior to the presidency, interpretative discussion of both domestic and foreign policies during each presidency, and the conclusion of their political lives in public service. The two major themes of this series are the character traits marking success in the presidency, and the changes in the office of presidents throughout America''s history. Character matters in all walks of life, but perhaps matters most within the character of the President of the United States.

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Book SynopsisBenjamin Harrison was an honest, intelligent, hardworking lawyer from Indiana who became the twenty-third President of the United States. During his term in office, he signed important legislation and provided leadership in negotiating foreign policy, striving to advance the United States toward becoming a world power. The book presents an up-to-date and cogent biography of this president who is now considered one of the better presidents of the late nineteenth century.

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Book SynopsisThe 21st century has yet to create its legacy. At the outset, however, America is the sole military superpower and one of the top economic superpowers. At this time, there seems no more powerful nor more responsible post in the world than the Presidency of the United States. This book includes in its scope the men and perhaps women who will occupy the Oval Office, their considerable powers and their actions.

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Book SynopsisThis book is an exploration not only of the lessons that Abraham Lincoln, America''s sixteenth president, drew from the founders of the United States, especially, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, but also how others abroad have interpreted and incorporated his legacy. Because Lincoln occupied the presidency during democracy''s first great civil war, he set a precedent for other leaders at home and abroad. "Liberal" leaders tend to identify with his roles as the Great Emancipator and magnanimous Great Reconciler, who eschewed "ethnic cleansing" in favour of restoring the Union as soon as possible after secession.

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Book SynopsisA lone, lanky soldier sat at a hand-hewn table hunched over a note pad and a few worn books, quite oblivious of the boisterous men around him. This was often the scene at Fort Washington in the fall and winter of 1791. At the age of 18, Ensign William Henry Harrison had arrived at General St Clair''s post, Fort Washington, expecting a well-disciplined band of men. Instead, young Harrison recently sent from Fort Pitt was shocked at the condition. Just before his arrival with his eighty recruits, there had been a major Indian attack. Seven hundred soldiers had been killed and about one-third of them scalped. Women and children had been brutally murdered, other women and children taken for slavery or adoption into the tribe. General St Clair had been wounded. Under young Harrison''s direction, the arms and supplies were replaced and soon after, the fort was back in the same old routine. The idle soldiers under a recovered St. Clair were again indulging in heavy drinking, petty fighting and even duelling. Harrison decided then and there that he would spend his time studying military history, battle strategy and literature. No wasteful destructive behaviour for him, but self-improvement of character, and education in his chosen career. The event best illustrates the mark of the man: A gentleman from Virginia of honour, and dedicated to duty. William Henry Harrison rose above all other men to become the ninth president of the United States of America.

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Book SynopsisHerbert Clark Hoover (10 August 1874-20October 1964), the 31st President of the United States (1929-1933), was a successful mining engineer, the peoples icon, and administrator. He showed the Efficiency Movement component of the Progressive Era, arguing there were other solutions to all social and economic problemsa position that was challenged by the Great Depression that began while he was President. Hoover had a distinguished public service career before becoming president at a time of great religious and social turmoil. He had the misfortune to arrive at the presidency at the same time as the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the outset of the Great Depression and his legacy to this day carries that stigma. He nevertheless is generally ranked in the middle of the pack of effective presidents.

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Book SynopsisThe American presidency has become one of the most powerful offices in the world with the ascendancy of American power in the 20th century. This compendium brings together piercing analyses of the American presidency -- dealing with both current issues and historical events. The compendia consist of the combined and rearranged issues of "White House Studies" with the addition of a comprehensive subject index.

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Book SynopsisThe American presidency has become one of the most powerful offices in the world with the ascendancy of American power in the 20th century. This compendium brings together piercing analyses of the American presidency -- dealing with both current issues and historical events. The compendia consist of the combined and rearranged issues of "White House Studies" with the addition of a comprehensive subject index.

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Book SynopsisThe Bush Presidencies represent a unique historical challenge for historians and political scientists alike. Not since John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams has the nation been led by father and son presidents. The Bushes are different from the Adamses. John Adams and John Quincy Adams ruled a good twenty-four years apart with John Quincy assuming the presidency in 1824 after a controversial election that was settled by the House of Representatives. Although John Quincy did not receive a majority of popular votes or a majority of elector votes he assumed the presidency due to the influence of the House. He was soundly defeated by Andrew Jackson four years later. In contradistinction to John Quincy Adams, George W. Bush was declared the electoral vote winner in the 2000 presidential election after a bitter contested election settled in large measure by the Supreme Court decision Bush v. Gore. Unlike John Quincy, George W. Bush won a second term albeit by the smallest margin in history [1]. George H W Bush was not successful in his re-election quest while John Adams was in his. Psychological insinuations and theories are more rampant today affecting the analysis of the Bush presidencies unlike the Adams'' presidencies. However, the Bush presidencies present opportunities for comparing and contrasting father and son presidencies governing within eight years of each other. In addition, the son governs as the father watches. This new and significant book is dedicated to comparing and contrasting this father and son combination. The response to our call has been quite fruitful. There seems to be a conventional wisdom developing about this father and son relationship. It seems to emphasise differences between the father and son. These differences are largely due to the different approaches that father and son took towards Iraq. Thus it has been observed that the father is a bit disappointed in the son for the path taken in Iraq. George H W Bush is concerned for and worries about his son. Our authors find not only differences but great similarities between both presidents. This is as one might expect given blood lines, environmental upbringing, family ties, education and other variables affecting these individuals. The analysis here both adds to and contradicts the conventional wisdom view of the Bushes''. Our authors present a first attempt at analysing this unique relationship in various policy areas. The authors believe that this relationship will provide future scholars with many research questions concerning the nature of the presidency.

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Book SynopsisArthur''s greatest success was in cutting the surplus, although it was a modest reduction, maintaining the protectionist tariff system, achieving civil service reform, and rebuilding the navy. Like every president he did disappoint and he carefully crafted his politics to achieve his ends. The years of Arthur''s administration were ones of great changes. Industrial growth and consolidation led to massive economic changes. Companies were no longer local entities, but now competed in the international marketplace. Single companies took over entire industries. John Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and John P. Morgan ushered in the era of the trust. In North Carolina, James Duke began mass producing cigarettes, the first significant step on the way to a national economy based on consumption.

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Book SynopsisBy the standards that historians usually use to judge presidents, John Quincy Adams was a failure. Although better qualified for the office than any American of his generation, he served for only one term and was unable to accomplish any of the most cherished goals set forth so boldly at the beginning of his presidency. Yet John Quincy Adams has not shared the fate of other presidential "failures" that have faded almost entirely from the national memory. This book provides a concise, synthetic biography of Adams that seeks to integrate the themes of his life into an understandable whole that explains both the successes and failures of his extraordinary career. Using his published journals and writings as basic sources, the book presents a succinct narrative of Adams'' career that draws upon the best scholarship on his life and times.

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Book SynopsisWilliam Howard Taft (15 September 1857-8 March 1930) was the 27th President of the United States and later the 10th Chief Justice of the United States. He is the only person to have served in both offices. Riding a wave of popular support of President (and fellow Republican) Theodore Roosevelt, Taft won an easy victory in his 1908 bid for the presidency. In his first and only term, President Taft''s domestic agenda emphasised trust-busting, civil service reform, strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission, improving the performance of the postal service, and passage of the Sixteenth Amendment. This book will take you through the voyage of Taft''s Presidency and life in view of that prestigious appointment.

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Book SynopsisThis series explains the personal and public life of each President of the United States. Their qualities of character and leadership are aptly interpreted and offer strong role models for all citizens. Presidential successes are recorded for posterity, as are the pitfalls that should be guarded against in the future. This series also explains the domestic reasons and world backdrop for the expansion of the Executive Office of the President. The President of the United States is perhaps the most coveted position in the world and this series reveals the lives of all those successfully elected, how each performed as president, and how each is to be measured in history. The collective life stories of the presidents reveal the greatness that America represents in the world.

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Book SynopsisClaudia Alta Taylor received her nickname "Lady Bird" as a small child and as "Lady Bird" she is known and loved throughout America today. "Bird" was President Lyndon Johnson''s partner, confidante, and helpmate. She helped his Congressional office open during World War II when he volunteered for naval service and in 1955, when he had a severe heart attack, she helped his staff keep things running smoothly until he could return to his post as Majority Leader of the Senate. She created a First Lady''s Committee for a More Beautiful Capital, then expanded her program to include the entire nation. She took a highly active part in her husband''s war-on-poverty program, especially the Head Start project for pre-school children. This book traces Lady Bird''s life in a lively, informative and entertaining manner.

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Book SynopsisMcKinley governed in a time of extreme change in U.S. history. As Congressman, Governor, and President, McKinley embraced adaptation and modernisation and governed with a style based on his traditional experiences, knowledge and character. In the 1890s, America prospered at home and abroad, largely because of the policies of McKinley. President McKinley recognised transformations taking place throughout the world and the creation of new global relationships. In the wake of globalisation as we know it, McKinley held on to the traditional American values of hard-work, honesty, thrift, frugality, humanity and self-maintenance. This book examines the life and presidency of William McKinley, as well as his role as the first modern President.

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Book SynopsisThis interpretative study of the Pierce presidency examines the context of both the time in which he was placed and the challenges he faced during his presidency, as well as the political philosophy and culture he brought to the position. In order to understand these things, it is necessary to review his early background in New Hampshire, the parental influences upon his character, the education, both formal and political, that he received, and the principles he embraced before he made his way into the White House.

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Book SynopsisThrough the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the federal government currently operates and maintains 13 presidential libraries, and it may soon assume responsibility for a new facility for the records of former President George W. Bush. The libraries, which primarily serve as archival repositories and museums in which the records and memorabilia of the former Presidents are held and made available to researchers, are privately constructed on behalf of former Presidents. This book details the legislative history of the Presidential Libraries Act and provides information on existing library facilities and their locations, as well as analysing legislative options for the act, including increasing endowment requirements for the library foundations and clearly delineating the relationship between NARA and the libraries'' supporting organisations.

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Book SynopsisWith the expansion of the federal government since the 1930s and the rise of the United States as a global power in the twentieth century, the need for a powerful president to direct American priorities and policies is clear. In times of national crisis, domestic and international focus on the president becomes even greater, with the widespread expectation that executive leadership is necessary to combat the challenge. The need for checks on that power by other institutions of American government, namely Congress and the courts, also is evident, though the balancing of presidential power typically has not developed in conjunction with its expansion. This edited volume analyses the growth of presidential power from the Civil War era to the present, examining both emergency situations in wartime and developments in non-crisis periods.

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Book SynopsisTruman, the thirty-third president of the United States, was thrust into office on April 12th, 1945. His path to the presidency did not follow a straight trajectory. Truman had been an ordinary American, growing up in the Midwest where he was raised by parents who were unable to provide the benefits associated with rank or status. Truman made up for his lack of pedigree through dedication and hard work. However, hard work did not always mean immediate reward, as was the case with life on the family farm or Truman''s numerous business failures. In fact, failure was one of the guiding constants in his life, but the man always managed to overcome obstacles and personal setbacks. This book examines Harry S. Truman, focusing on his long road from ordinary American to president of the United States.

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Book SynopsisWarren Gamaliel Harding was a traditional man in the mode of the late-nineteenth, early-twentieth century. His values, perspective on the world around him, his habits and leisure pastimes, and his opinions about being an American and a man were all extremely traditional. To understand Warren G Harding one must first seek the essence of the man. This work attempts to discover and analyse the essence of Harding through three methods. First, this book presents a biographical overview that examines the person of Warren G. Harding in an effort to understand how he captured the admiration and adoration of so many Americans while at the same time being assailed as an ignorant man, incompetent President, and unethical individual. Second, in order to ascertain and evaluate Harding as a political leader and the effectiveness of his presidency, this book analyses selected key decisions, tactics, and policies pursued by the Harding Administration. Third, this work briefly describes the context of the Harding Era, basically the period from 1920 through 1923.

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Book SynopsisDubya still likes to call himself "The Decider." But a lot was decided for him. This imaginative memoir reveals the real Bush from his youth. He was a hard-drinking, good-natured lout -- and the last person who''d run for high office. Bush was a spoiled rich brat. From adolescent drunk he graduated to prankster frat boy at an Ivy League. His famous father got him out of the draft. He got elected to the highest office in the world. Impressive resumé. Stranger than fiction! By the Maine reporter who "busted" W for drunk driving. The biography covers the juvenile career of Geo. W. Bush, his rowdy teenage behavior and drinking habits. His hijinks at Yale and Harvard. Dodging the draft with a little help from Congressman "Poppy" Bush. Inside the Bush Family; mano a mano over an affair his father is having. W''s DUI arrest. Eligible bachelor W gets engaged to a nice girl -- so as to be more eligible for a run for Congress. He loses the race but marries Laura Welch anyway. W will be assisted again to rise to high office. Bush comes across as a devil-may-care, insolent youth, with a rude nickname for everyone, always ready to get into mischief, or into a case of liquor, to relieve his boredom. This amusing portrait of a oaf''s progress is hardly flattering, but is not as unsympathetic as much of his press. An ordinary kid born into a strange family, "Dubya" never was interested in politics. He had to play his part to pay his family dues. This may well explain why Bush as President just did not seem to care to keep up the pretences that the world expects from its leaders. Indeed, we see G W Bush here as an anti-hero rather than a leader. Yet the author does not dwell on such theories. This is a hilarious book rather than a serious one, in keeping with the lightweight personality of its subject. Author Ted Cohen is the Kennebunkport reporter who uncovered the story of Dubya''s DUI conviction during the 2000 presidential campaign. That the press did not deem to pick up on it may have swung that close election.

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Book SynopsisThis series gathers and presents original research results on the leading edge in the study of the Presidency of the United States. Each article has been carefully selected in an attempt to present substantial topical data across a broad spectrum. Topics discussed in this compilation include the tradition, function and policy implications of the President''s State of the Union Address; presenting measures to the President for approval; the War Powers Resolution; Presidential records; compensation for the President of the United States; policy and cost of Presidential travel; succession and disability issues during the transition period for the President-elect and pensions, office allowances and other benefits for former Presidents.

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Book SynopsisOne of the key issues facing our republic in this century is the exercise of presidential war powers. The constitutional structure which gives the Congress responsibility for declaring war is being challenged and some would argue usurped by a succession of modern, aggressive commander-in-chief presidents. This book examines many aspects of this problem and places it in historical context, analysing both pre-modern and post-modern presidencies. One thing is clear, a return to the original constitutional order will take an enormous effort on the part of our leaders and their people.

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Book SynopsisThis book reviews the most relevant academic literature on political leadership in order to analyse a variety of diverse issues in this subject. Political leadership has already achieved remarkable contributions from researchers. Moreover, this area of research is expanding clearly and that raises interest inside and outside the academic world. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of work to be done so that the literature on political leadership reaches its critical mass.

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Book SynopsisSince the beginning of the federal government, Presidents have called upon executive branch officials to provide them with advice regarding matters of policy and administration. While Cabinet members were among the first to play such a role, the creation of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) in 1939 and the various agencies located within that structure resulted in a large increase in the number and variety of presidential advisers. All senior staff members of the White House Office and the leaders of the various EOP agencies could be said to serve as advisers to the President. This book provides background information and selected views on the role of some of these appointees and discusses some of the constitutional concerns that have been raised about presidential advisers.

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Book SynopsisThis book describes the life of the tenth president, John Tyler, who evoked mixed feelings amongst the public as to his competency and administrative judgements. He was believed by some to be of talents not above ''mediocrity'' and rooted in passions and vices of slavery while others believed him to be unaffected and dedicated to the needs of the country. This book is an interesting portrait of a somewhat orthodox man who, to some seemed too ''ordinary'', and his popularity was a divided one.

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Book SynopsisThis book follows the life of James Madison, our 4th president, who at the tender age of twenty-five was thrust into significant politics as an elected member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Even in his first venture into statesmanship, Madison took notes on constitutional deliberations, a practice that he would continue in the Federal Convention that proposed the United States Constitution and throughout much of his legislative career whether in Philadelphia, New York City, or Williamsburg, Virginia. Just as most of our knowledge of the framing of the U.S. Constitution is provided by Madison''s painstaking notes of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, much of our knowledge of George Mason''s many contributions to the Virginia Constitution of 1776 are also known through Madison''s efforts.

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Book SynopsisThis book portrays the life of Martin Van Buren, an active architect of the Democratic Party and eighth president of the American republic, who still remains in the public mind as an obscure, if not forgotten, figure of our history. It depicts his rise to legal then political prominence. Van Buren''s long-winding road to the White House was marked by the creation of his "Albany Regency", a well-disciplined political machine that he effectively managed through the so-called spoils system and adroitly used to his own political advantage. Blessed with sound political acumen but despised for his constant political manoeuvring, he was known as "the Little Magician" by his friends and enemies alike, with different motives. As president, Van Buren was beset with the Panic of 1837, a strong economic recession resulting mostly from his predecessor''s wrong choices, but for which he paid a strong political price. This book details his life and career.

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