Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Breaking new ground, Nelson Johnson gives a colorful account of the relationship between Frank Hague and Arthur Vanderbilt, leading to the adoption of the 1947 N.J. Constitution. This is a good read and an important book for anyone interested in N.J. history." -- Governor Thomas H. Kean
"Nelson Johnson’s
Battleground New Jersey takes a fresh look at the personal and political forces that brought the New Jersey Court system from a hodgepodge of ancient rules and 'Dickensian absurdity' to what ultimately became a judicial model envied throughout the country. The book is a compelling narrative that both illuminates and entertains." -- Hon. L. Anthony Gibson, J.S.C. (Ret.)
"Nelson Johnson’s new book is a must for anyone interested not only in two of the most important New Jersey political actors in 20th century New Jersey (including new information on Arthur Vanderbilt) but also in the formative political events in those years that still affect us today."
-- Robert F. Williams * Rutgers University School of Law, Camden *
"Battleground New Jersey is an enjoyable romp through an important era about which most people know little. Nelson Johnson brings to life people and events for which we have, at best, a hazy image. His balanced presentation of the two principals, Arthur Vanderbilt and Frank Hague—conflicting in character as they are—is a reflection of his thorough research."
-- Governor James J. Florio
"Johnson...disproves the theory that a book about the judiciary can't be crackling good." * New York Law Journal *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Prologue Power Doesn't Corrupt: It Reveals
Chapter 1 Sadie’s Saga
Chapter 2 Roseville’s Prodigy
Chapter 3 The Lawyer as Public Person
Chapter 4 A Force in Four Worlds
Chapter 5 Up from the Horseshoe
Chapter 6 The Celtic Chieftain
Chapter 7 Clean Government versus Hagueism
Chapter 8 Box 96: Arthur and David
Chapter 9 The Inventor’s Son
Chapter 10 The Archbishop Shows His Gratitude
Chapter 11 Haddonfield’s Mensch
Chapter 12 Things Get Curious
Chapter 13 Summer at Rutgers
Chapter 14 The Chief
Chapter 15 The Chief Supreme
Notes
Bibliography
Index
