Overview

As a longtime leader of the Democratic Party and key member of Woodrow Wilson's cabinet, Josephus Daniels was one of the most influential progressive politicians in the country, and as secretary of the navy during the First World War, he became one of the most important men in the world. Before that, Daniels revolutionized the newspaper industry in the South, forever changing the relationship between politics and the news media. Lee Craig, an expert on economic history, delves into Daniels' extensive archive to inform this nuanced and eminently readable biography, following Daniels' rise to power in North Carolina and chronicling his influence on twentieth-century politics. A man of great contradictions, Daniels-an ardent prohibitionist, free trader, and free silverite-made a fortune in private industry yet served as a persistent critic of unregulated capitalism. He championed progressive causes like the graded public school movement and antitrust laws even as he led North Carolina's white supremacy movement. Craig pulls no punches in his definitive biography of this political powerhouse.

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9781482910902

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Reviews

"[An] exhaustively researched and highly readable biography of a complicated and interesting man...Craig's narrative of the intrigues and issues of the Paris peace process is outstanding, ordering the many complex and often arcane political and personal conflicts into a clear picture for the reader...Craig has made a major contribution to the understanding of the period...In Craig's hands, the story of a very complex man living in the tumult of war and depression becomes a clear and intriguing page-turner. -- ""Washington Post"" Excellent...[Craig] brings a keen analytical intelligence to bear at each stage of Daniels' eventful life. The reader learns a good deal. -- ""Wall Street Journal"" For scholars as well as for citizens with serious interest in history and journalism, Professor Craig's biography of Josephus Daniels opens windows of insight into key moments in American history: the rise of the white supremacist 'redeemers' in the post-Reconstruction South, the presidencies of Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson, and the conduct and outcome of World War I. The book also tells the story of a fascinating, ambitious newspaper editor in politics. -- ""Ferrel Guillory, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"" Recent political events have rekindled interest in the formative years of progressivism, in which Josephus Daniels played a large role-before, during, and after his close relationship with Woodrow Wilson. Professor Craig's briskly written biography rescues from undeserved obscurity a Southern and national politician of great consequence and fascinating contradictions. -- ""George F. Will"""

[An] exhaustively researched and highly readable biography of a complicated and interesting man...Craig's narrative of the intrigues and issues of the Paris peace process is outstanding, ordering the many complex and often arcane political and personal conflicts into a clear picture for the reader...Craig has made a major contribution to the understanding of the period...In Craig's hands, the story of a very complex man living in the tumult of war and depression becomes a clear and intriguing page-turner. -- Washington Post Excellent...[Craig] brings a keen analytical intelligence to bear at each stage of Daniels' eventful life. The reader learns a good deal. -- Wall Street Journal Recent political events have rekindled interest in the formative years of progressivism, in which Josephus Daniels played a large role-before, during, and after his close relationship with Woodrow Wilson. Professor Craig's briskly written biography rescues from undeserved obscurity a Southern and national politician of great consequence and fascinating contradictions. -- George F. Will For scholars as well as for citizens with serious interest in history and journalism, Professor Craig's biography of Josephus Daniels opens windows of insight into key moments in American history: the rise of the white supremacist 'redeemers' in the post-Reconstruction South, the presidencies of Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson, and the conduct and outcome of World War I. The book also tells the story of a fascinating, ambitious newspaper editor in politics. -- Ferrel Guillory, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

For scholars as well as for citizens with serious interest in history and journalism, Professor Craig's biography of Josephus Daniels opens windows of insight into key moments in American history: the rise of the white supremacist 'redeemers' in the post-Reconstruction South, the presidencies of Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson, and the conduct and outcome of World War I. The book also tells the story of a fascinating, ambitious newspaper editor in politics. -- Ferrel Guillory, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Recent political events have rekindled interest in the formative years of progressivism, in which Josephus Daniels played a large role-before, during, and after his close relationship with Woodrow Wilson. Professor Craig's briskly written biography rescues from undeserved obscurity a Southern and national politician of great consequence and fascinating contradictions. -- George F. Will Excellent...[Craig] brings a keen analytical intelligence to bear at each stage of Daniels' eventful life. The reader learns a good deal. -- Wall Street Journal [An] exhaustively researched and highly readable biography of a complicated and interesting man...Craig's narrative of the intrigues and issues of the Paris peace process is outstanding, ordering the many complex and often arcane political and personal conflicts into a clear picture for the reader...Craig has made a major contribution to the understanding of the period...In Craig's hands, the story of a very complex man living in the tumult of war and depression becomes a clear and intriguing page-turner. -- Washington Post

[An] exhaustively researched and highly readable biography of a complicated and interesting man...Craig's narrative of the intrigues and issues of the Paris peace process is outstanding, ordering the many complex and often arcane political and personal conflicts into a clear picture for the reader...Craig has made a major contribution to the understanding of the period...In Craig's hands, the story of a very complex man living in the tumult of war and depression becomes a clear and intriguing page-turner. -- Washington Post Excellent...[Craig] brings a keen analytical intelligence to bear at each stage of Daniels' eventful life. The reader learns a good deal. -- Wall Street Journal For scholars as well as for citizens with serious interest in history and journalism, Professor Craig's biography of Josephus Daniels opens windows of insight into key moments in American history: the rise of the white supremacist 'redeemers' in the post-Reconstruction South, the presidencies of Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson, and the conduct and outcome of World War I. The book also tells the story of a fascinating, ambitious newspaper editor in politics. -- Ferrel Guillory, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Recent political events have rekindled interest in the formative years of progressivism, in which Josephus Daniels played a large role-before, during, and after his close relationship with Woodrow Wilson. Professor Craig's briskly written biography rescues from undeserved obscurity a Southern and national politician of great consequence and fascinating contradictions. -- George F. Will

Author Information

Lee A. Craig is an Alumni Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University. He is the author of six books and numerous scholarly articles, essays, and reviews on US and European economic history. Johnny Heller, winner of dozens of AudioFile Earphones Awards, is a two-time winner of the prestigious Audie Award for best narration and was named a top voice of 2008 and 2009 and selected as one of the Top 50 Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile magazine. He has been a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award winner from 2008 through 2013.

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