Research Catalog

Details

Description

1. xii, 910 pages : illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

1. "Before the house had Tip O'Neill, there was John McCormack. How did this man, with an eighth grade education and a false family history, become Speaker of the House of Representatives, and later next in line to be President of the United States? In this exhaustive political biography, Garrison Nelson lays out every detail of the life and work of an incredibly forceful and important American politician. The book details the roles McCormack played in the creation of Social Security and the passage of Lend-Lease, Medicare and Medicaid as well as the secret funding of the atomic bomb. The book ties together relationships, showing how this suave and secretive politician contributed to the selection of his "poker pal" Harry Truman as vice president in 1944 and in 1960, as JFK's named "floor manager," helped orchestrate Lyndon Johnson acceptance of JFK's vice presidential invitation. This groundbreaking research examines the machinations of congress, and also takes a close look at a critical time in US history, as American erupted with conflicts over civil rights and the Vietnam War. The lessons learned in McCormack's life in office still resonate with today's political leadership, and have an impact on the legacy of the JFK Presidency, the role of congress, the shape of the Democratic party, and a powerful generation of politicians"--
2. "The first-ever full-scale political biography of John W. McCormack for those interested in JFK era history"--

Subject

1. McCormack, John W., 1891-1980
2. United States. Congress. House > Speakers > Biography
3. United States. Congress. House > Biography
4. United States. Congress. House
5. 1961-1969
6. Legislators > United States > Biography
7. HISTORY > United States > 20th Century
8. HISTORY > United States > State & Local > General
9. POLITICAL SCIENCE > Government > Legislative Branch
10. POLITICAL SCIENCE > History & Theory
11. Legislators
12. Orators
13. Politics and government
14. United States > Politics and government > 1961-1963
15. United States > Politics and government > 1963-1969
16. United States

Genre/Form

1. Biography.

Contents

1. 1. November 25, 1963: The Troubling Public: Introduction -- 2. Irish Emigration and the Cauldron of Yankee Boston -- 3. The Reinvention of John McCormack -- 4. The Ascent: Yankee Mentors, Irish Gatekeepers, and Harriet -- 5. From Beacon Hill to Capitol Hill -- 6. The 1928-33 Game Change -- 7. The New Deal and a National Stage -- 8. The Problematic Landslide: Court-Packing and Purges -- 9. FDR's Third Term, the Austin-Boston Connection, and the Brink of War -- 10. War Transforms the Nation -- 11. FDR's Death and the Politics of Postwar America -- 12. The Unhealed Early Wounds: McCormack and Kennedy in the House -- 13. A Republican Congress, a Vice Presidential Bid, and the Four-Way election of 1948 -- 14. The Lost Peace, Korea, and Anti-Communism -- 15. Rabbi John Rescues Kennedy and a Transformed Delegation -- 16. Ike's Presidency, John's Partial Eclipse, and the Anti-Communism Crusade Fizzles -- 17. Political Poisoning, 1956-60 -- 18. Transitions, 1960-61 -- 19. The Tenuous Partnership, 1962 -- 20. The Fateful Year of 1963. -- 21. A Legislative Legacy Built Upon a Tragedy -- 22. The Unraveling, 1967-68 -- 23. It's Time, Mr. Speaker -- Epilogue: Closing the Book.

Call number

1. JFE 17-1323

Bibliography (note)

1. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Author

1. Nelson, Garrison, 1942- author.

Title

1. John William McCormack : a political biography / Garrison Nelson.

Publisher

1. New York, NY : Bloomsbury Academic, 2017.

Copyright date

1. ©2017

Type of content

1. text

Type of medium

1. unmediated

Type of carrier

1. volume

Bibliography

1. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Chronological term

1. 1961-1969

Other form:

1. Online version: Nelson, Garrison, 1942- author. John William McCormack. New York : Bloomsbury Academic, 2017 9781628925173 (DLC) 2016037543

LCCN

1. 2016036543

ISBN

1. 9781628925166 (HB)
2. 1628925167 (HB)

Research call number

1. JFE 17-1323