Presidential Biographies in memory of Regina

[Rachel N.]

I'm over halfway through President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler. It's very well written but oh so much information about banking. Until I started reading presidential biographies I had no clue how much time was spent arguing over whether or not the U.S. should have a National bank. The most interesting part to me so far is how Tyler set the script for what happens when a president dies and the vice president becomes president. No one seems to have given it much thought before this.

[Joy D]

This sounds very good. I'll see if I can find a copy.

[Rachel N.]

I finished my Tyler book President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler.


An interesting and in-depth biography of the 10th president. Tyler was the first vice-president to become president due to the president dying in office. I found the section detailing how Tyler basically came up with the way this situation is handled to be very interesting. The book also spends a lot of time on what did and didn't happen during Tyler's presidency including a National Bank and the annexation of Texas. The author spent time detailing both of Tyler's marriages and his 15! children. I do think a bit more time could have been spent at the end of the book discussing why Tyler decided to join the Confederate House of Representatives, turning a former president into a traitor to his country. Overall an interesting book that I recommend.

Moving onto Polk.

[Joy D]

Glad you are still on track, Rachel! I have fallen behind but hope to catch up. The book on Harrison was just recently released so I want to get to it fairly soon: Gallop Toward the Sun: Tecumseh and Harrison's Struggle for the Destiny of a Nation

[Booknblues]

Rachel N. wrote: "I finished my Tyler book President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler.


An interesting and in-depth biography of the 10th president. Tyler was the first vice-president to beco..."

This sounds like a good choice.
Way back when I was a member of Regina's Presidential Biographies group. I only managed to read a couple but Tyler was one which I did read. The choice for him was John Tyler, the Accidental President

[Joy D]

I'll check on that one and the one you read to see if I can get them through the library.

[Joy D]

I finally found the newly released book, Gallop Toward the Sun for William Henry Harrison, which I'll be reading in October, then hope to catch up with Tyler and Polk.

[Rachel N.]

I'm glad you finally found the Harrison book. I'm interested in hearing about it once you finish.

[Joy D]

Finished the Harrison book, which is excellent. Now will look for one on Tyler.

Gallop Toward the Sun: Tecumseh and Harrison's Struggle for the Destiny of a Nation by Peter Stark - 4.5* - My Review

This book is a dual biography of William Henry Harrison and Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, a description of the battles they fought on opposite sides, and a more general look at the westward expansion of the US. It examines the agreements with the indigenous tribes that were made and broken numerous times. Harrison was involved in several of these agreements. Harrison had initially shown compassion toward the native peoples, but this attitude did not last. It covers the Battle of Tippecanoe (where Harrison got his nickname, “Old Tippecanoe”) and the War of 1812.

Harrison served as a delegate to Congress from the Northwest Territory. He later became governor of Indiana Territory, where he was one of the primary negotiators. Tecumseh traveled the western territories to attempt to get the tribes to cooperate for their mutual benefit rather than have their interests pitted against each other. Tecumseh’s Shawnee and several other tribes banded together to fight on the side of the British, hoping to regain access to the lands of their ancestors.

This book provides a perspective on the complicated relationship between these two men. We get a good idea of their personalities and motivations. I particularly enjoyed the description of the meeting between the two on the grounds of the Harrison estate, which provides a stark contrast between cultures. I found it a well-written and fascinating account. Recommended to those interested in frontier history or anyone who wants to learn more about William Henry Harrison beyond his one-month as President.

“Willam Henry Harrison laid the groundwork for decades of wars with native peoples and removal as the dynamic young governor of the Indiana Territory. Where Thomas Jefferson had taken an inchoate Federalist policy of “civilizing” tribes, and made it into a governing ideology, civilize or move on or be exterminated, Harrison had made that policy real.”

[Rachel N.]

The Harrison book you chose sounds interesting. I'll probably come back and read it after we have made it through every president.

[Joy D]

I found the one you read for Tyler at the library, so I'll be reading:
John Tyler, the Accidental President. I'll start it soon and hope to catch up to the schedule.

[Joanne]

Just want you to know that I have been following this and your comments and books. So impressed ladies, and so many books I think I might enjoy myself.

[Joy D]

Excellent, JoAnne! There are quite a few I think you would enjoy.

[Joy D]

Finished:
John Tyler, the Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol - 4* - My Review

“He [Tyler] seemed oblivious to yet another contradiction in his ideology. Just as slavery mocked Tyler’s notion of free America’s global mission, the chase for national glory ultimately would clash with his traditional Jeffersonian view of limited government.”

This book is a biography of tenth US President, John Tyler (1790-1862). He is known as the first Vice President to assume the Presidency (after the death of William Henry Harrison), setting a precedent that still endures. He is not particularly well-remembered these days, and this book provides an informative series of essays on his key characteristics and accomplishments, including:

- Pro-slavery stance: John Tyler was a slave-owner. While he sought to eliminate the slave markets in Washington D.C., he was a plantation owner who believed in the “southern way of life” that “required” slaves.
- Non-recognition of Haiti: After Haiti gained independence (after a slave revolt), Tyler refused to recognize it as a country. This reluctance can be traced directly to racism.
- Recognition of Hawaii: In order to provide the US access to the Eastern hemisphere, Tyler recognized Hawaii as an independent territory.
- Diplomacy with China: He sent a diplomat to open trade discussions with China, along with a rather condescending letter that, fortunately for him, was not delivered until diplomatic relations had been established.
- Pre-annexation of Texas: He facilitated the preliminary negotiations that eventually led to the annexation of Texas (which occurred after his term ended).
- Joining the Confederacy: He is considered a “traitor president” due to voting for secession and joining the Confederacy in 1861 at the start of the American Civil War.

The primary advantage of this biography is the wealth of information provided on a lesser-known President. Tyler is not a particularly admirable person, nor does Crapol attempt to fully redeem him. It does not provide much about his personal life or his pre-presidential public service. His first wife died in 1842, he married his second wife during his presidency, and had a total of fifteen children. I enjoyed the thematic approach to this book, though it may be less effective for those who prefer a chronological account. I did not particularly care for the author’s continued use of the euphemism for slavery (i.e., “the peculiar institution”), but overall, this is an accessible, well-researched biography, and I learned a lot from reading it.

[Joy D]

For Polk, I am going to read:
A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, The Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent by Robert W. Merry

[Joy D]

This one is probably somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. There weren't a lot of choices for Polk.

A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, The Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent by Robert W. Merry - 3+* - My Review

“By embracing the notion of acquiring not only Texas and Oregon, but also California and New Mexico, Polk brought to his presidency imperatives of boldness, persistence, force of will, and guile that went beyond anything anyone had before seen in him. Yet he brought those traits to the floor in such a way as to accomplish all of his ambitious presidential aspirations. Therein lies whatever greatness he may claim to a place in history."

This biography of eleventh US President James K. Polk focuses mainly on his political life, actions during his presidential term, and the expansion of the US into the western territories. It does not cover much about his personal life. The era of “Manifest Destiny” led to many controversies and disputes with other countries. Polk settled a dispute with Great Britain over the boundary of Oregon Territory and went to war with Mexico over the annexation of Texas.

For me, the most appealing parts of the book were the portraits of the personalities of the time, including Thomas Hart Benton, James Buchanan, John Calhoun, Henry Clay, John Fremont, Martin Van Buren, Daniel Webster, and many others. It really gives a good idea of what these people were like. It portrays the influence of Andrew Jackson, Polk’s mentor, long after Jackson’s presidential term was completed. The coverage of the Mexican American War is some of the most detailed I have ever read. Another highlight is the portrayal of the 1944 Democratic Convention in Baltimore where Polk became the first “dark horse” candidate. It also provides interesting information about the Wilmot Proviso, which foreshadowed the end of slavery.

While it covers many interesting events of history, the downside to this book is the level of detail. It drills down into the intricacies of political machinations and maneuvering. For me, this was overkill, but it may appeal to others. I guess it depends on how much detail you want to read about the politics of the time period. I feel like I gained knowledge from this book, but it was pretty dry reading.

[Rachel N.]

I'm a bit behind, still in Polk, but hopefully I'll be able to catch up by year end. the past month has just been one major thing after another with not much time for reading.

[Joy D]

Take your time, Rachel. It's just the two of us :-)

I have to figure out what to read for Taylor.

[Rachel N.]

Finally finished my Polk book! The book I picked for Taylor should be coming into the library this week.

Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America-Walter Broneman 3 stars

A thorough biography of the 11th president. Most of the book focuses on Polk's presidency especially the Mexican-American War following the U.S. annexation of Texas. Much detail is given about everyone involved in the war not just Polk. I didn't realize until reading the book that Polk died so soon after leaving office. The book also spends some time discussing the acquisition of Oregon. Not a lot of time was spent on Polk's two other goals, a national treasury and reducing tariffs. Overall it gives a good look at the time period, especially if you want to know more about the Mexican-American war.

[Joy D]

Glad to see you were able to get the Polk book finished. I am still unsure what I'll read about Taylor. Which one are you reading?

[Rachel N.]

My library didn't have much choice for Taylor so I'm going with: Zachary Taylor

[Joy D]

Thanks. I'll see what I can find.

[Rachel N.]

It looks like Regina couldn't find much either because she read the one I'm planning on reading.

[Joy D]

The only one I've found at the library is young adult oriented:
Zachary Taylor by Heidi Elston

[Saorsa]

Hey, Rachel, this is “Care.” I see you started the President project in memory of Regina! I’m definitely not making any promises, because things have become rather difficult in my life, but I did order the Zachary Taylor book from my library. Somebody needs to write an adult focused bio on the man. However, this one is quick and might be good for getting me in the swing. I’m bummed I didn’t do the early Presidents with you; I’m currently writing a high school government curriculum, and that would have no doubt been beneficial.

[Rachel N.]

Saorse wrote: "Hey, Rachel, this is “Care.” I see you started the President project in memory of Regina! I’m definitely not making any promises, because things have become rather difficult in my life, but I did o..."

It's good to see you here again! Joy and I are heading into our third year of presidential biographies in memory of Regina. You're welcome to jump in wherever with whatever president. We've been posting our reviews here as we go along. Sometimes we read the same book, sometimes not. Unfortunately we're currently in the rut between Jackson and Lincoln where a lot of the presidents don't have much written about them. I'm hoping to finish my Taylor book this week.

[Joy D]

I have been having trouble finding anything at the library beyond the young adult version of the Taylor book, so that's probably going to be my choice. Welcome to the readalong, Saorse. There's absolutely no pressure so, as Rachel says, feel free to join in whenever you like.

[Joy D]

Finished the Zachary Taylor:
Zachary Taylor: 12th President of the United States by Heidi Elston - 3* - My Review

This very short book (40 pages) provides a summary of the life of Zachary Taylor, the twelfth President of the US, who served in office for sixteen months before dying in office. It is geared toward children in the middle grades and covers only the basics. I particularly liked the depiction of major events of the period on a timeline but there is no in-depth analysis of these events. I will likely seek out another book that provides a more detailed account. Although this is not a book geared toward adults, I enjoyed reading it.

[Rachel N.]

I finished my Taylor book and am actually now caught up :-)

Zachary Taylor-John S.D. Eisenhower 3 stars

A short summary of the life of the 12th president of the U.S. Not a lot of time is spent on Taylor's early life. Quite a bit of time is spent on the Mexican-American war which I would have found more interesting if i hadn't just read an in depth account of the war in the book I read for Polk. It seems like the only major thing accomplished as president before he died was signing a treaty with Britain about a possible canal in Nicaragua. I don't think the book really makes the case that the Civil war would have been avoided if Taylor hadn't died. I did learn that all of Taylor's papers were destroyed during the Civil War by the union Army because they were stored at his sons plantation in Louisiana. That helps explain why so little has been written about Taylor. Given the material available about Taylor this book gives a decent summary of his life.

I'll be reading Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President next

[Saorsa]

You guys are leaving me in the dust! I’m trying to finish a stack of library books I got right before coming back on GR, so I’m likely to be behind for a bit. There are a couple copies of that Millard Fillmore in the state, so I’ll request it when I get closer. Since most of my books are requests that traveled a long way for me to read them, I always try not to send them back unread. Unfortunately, a couple, such as Madonna’s A Rebel Life, are chunksters! Yes, I did just admit to reading Madonna’s bio. What can I say, she was the Taylor Swift of my generation. :-)

[Joy D]

I have not found a Millard Fillmore book at the library yet. I hope I don't have to resort to another children's or YA summary. I really don't want to purchase one unless it's inexpensive, since I doubt I'll be re-reading it. Will keep looking.

[Theresa]

Joy D wrote: "I have not found a Millard Fillmore book at the library yet. I hope I don't have to resort to another children's or YA summary. I really don't want to purchase one unless it's inexpensive, since I ..."

Joy - something to consider - buying used if you really can't source in library. Presidential biographies, and especially these where there are not a lot of options and not as many people apt to read them, are the kind of books that show up for just a very few dollars in excellent condition at used bookstores and online bookstores like ABEbooks.com (my personal favorite source though there are plenty of others). Then you can gift it to your library.

I got all 3 paperback volumes of Proust Remembrance of Things Past for a total of about $15, including tax. And they were in pristine shape -- even unread. Though not anymore!

[Joy D]

Yes! Thanks for the reminder. I have not yet been to my used bookstores.

[Theresa]

Joy D wrote: "Yes! Thanks for the reminder. I have not yet been to my used bookstores."

Shame! Those are the BEST resources for books like presidential biographies and history books at very reasonable prices.

6 years ago I could have bequeathed you an entire presidential biography library -- from an estate that I was administering and had to clear out an apartment for my friend Nancy in St. Petersburg FL where her brother Larry's entire presidential and history library still sat as it was when he passed away a couple years before Nancy. Larry was autistic but an authority on presidential history and biography. High IQ, passion for history and US presidents and maps -- he could study a map and direct you anywhere. But of course you couldn't have a conversation, always understand him, but he read and learned like the brilliant man he was.

We donated all those books and his map collection to Haslam's Used Books in St. Pete. I think there were something like 34 cartons of books - 3 different carloads of boxed up books taken there. They had a crew meet us in back where they have a warehouse into which they unloaded them all.

I bet they still have most of them.

I know you have family in FL -any of them near St. Pete's and willing to shop for you at Haslam's? Bet Haslam's ships too.

Of course 6 years ago I had not yet found PBT let alone joined. It was right after clearing out Nancy's apartment that I found my home here.

[Joy D]

Theresa wrote: "Shame! Those are the BEST resources for books like presidential biographies and history books at very reason..."

Theresa, I always look at my used bookstores eventually. There's only one in my current town, and the other requires a lengthy drive, so I usually plan the day to visit them. (Not all of us can live in NYC!!)

That's a cool story about the Presidential library and Haslam's. I'm surprised I haven't been there. I used to go over to St. Pete a lot (it's about 2 hours drive from Orlando). My family can't really go over due to health issues, but maybe my son will be able to go over at some point. I can look online at Haslam's though. Thanks for the tip. I would have loved to have such a library.

[Theresa]

Joy D wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Shame! Those are the BEST resources for books like presidential biographies and history books at very reason..."

Theresa, I always look at my used bookstores eventually. There's on..."

Well, since most of the indies and used book stores I most like are in the outer boroughs and not in Manhattan, I'm looking at 1.5 to 2 hours each way AND hand carrying the purchases! There may be a wealth of stores -- but there are hardships still. AND prices are higher than you can find elsewhere.

Haslam's is worth the trip from Orlando especially for the non-fiction - and it's at the exit right off the highway I took from the airport to visit my friend and her brother in their assisted living facility - where all the books were - they had a 2 bedroom apartment there.

[Rachel N.]

I'm going to continue the Fillmore book but I don't know how seriously I can take it when I just read the sentence "His six feet of sturdy manhood aroused her admiration. " I'm hoping it gets less cheesy as it heads more into politics.

[NancyJ]

Rachel N. wrote: "I'm going to continue the Fillmore book but I don't know how seriously I can take it when I just read the sentence "His six feet of sturdy manhood aroused her admiration. " I'm hoping it gets less ..."

LOL (that made me snort my drink). I initially read it as 6 inches so... It's bad no matter how you read it. Did a woman or a man write that?

[Rachel N.]

LOL Nancy, I snorted to when I read it too. The writer is a man. The book was first published in 1959 so I'm cutting it a bit of slack but come on.

[Saorsa]

I read it as six feet and still busted up laughing. Then again, I listen to a lot of romance novels while doing chores, so you can guess where my mind went.

[Joy D]

Well, I had a chance to check my used bookstores this week and came up empty, so I decided to return to the same author I read for Zachary Taylor. It's a book for middle grades, but does an excellent job of covering the basics:

Millard Fillmore: 13th President of the United States by Heidi Elston - 3* - My Review

Let's hope I have better luck with Franklin Pierce.

[Rachel N.]

Hope you find something for Pierce, Joy. I'm still wading through my Fillmore book.

[Joy D]

I'm sure I'll find something eventually at my used bookstore or find a kindle version on sale. I'm keeping a list of those I'd like to read more about, including the last two.

[Theresa]

For those of you reading Taft biographies ... The New Yorker in the newest issue (Jan 29, 2023 - has bird in bubble bath on cover) has an article about how William Howard Taft remade the Supreme Court. Title of it is The Chief, written by Jill Lepore.

You probably can find a free read on one of The New Yorker's Facebook pages at some point in the next week if you don't want to buy the magazine.

[Joanne]

I have been following this and have been meaning to tell you both how awesome it is that you have plowed through this challenge!

I also find it disheartening that some of the Presidents do not have books that are adult based. I suppose their terms were not filled with anything authors find interesting enough. However, it would be nice to have a book just about their families/life. They are a part of out nations history! I am reading Mornings on Horseback and it is all based on Teddy's young life and his family. I am enjoying it immensely.

[Rachel N.]

@Theresa, Taft should be coming up next year. I'll try to remember this when we get there.

@Joanne, I think every president has so far has some sort of adult biography but some of them are old or hard to find. My library sytem seems to have more biographies for the current string of presidents than Joy's does. I'm enjoying this challenege though some days I do get tired of reading about banks :-). It definitely seems to be a huge issue early in the U.S. history. It's also interesting seeing how other authors depict presidents we've already read about. For instance the Fillmore author seems to really dislike Tyler.

[Joy D]

JoAnne, my local library is pretty slim pickings. I think there was a local effort at some point to at least make sure there was a book for each president geared toward the middle grades.

I plan to go back and find a more adult-based version of the two presidents where I couldn't find much, but I wanted to stay on track for our schedule and I really don't want to spend a lot of money on these types of books.

By the way, I've read Mornings on Horseback and it is wonderful!

[Theresa]

There are of course lots of reasons there may not be as much, and the farther in the past they fall, the less interest there is or even research materials to be found by a biographer. One you guys read recently died only a couple months in office. Another much if not all of his papers were lost to fire. Plus presidential libraries did not yet exist to preserve the papers and ephemera.

I too loved Mornings on Horseback primarily because of the family history and family biography aspects. But that was a branch of the Roosevelt family with wealth and status and public engagement that would have a tremendous amount written about them and given their social status and history of involvement in politics and charitable works, preserved. Not sure you would find that with every family of a president.

[Joy D]

Also, some of the presidents were prodigious writers (TR was one of them), while others did not write much or keep journals.

[Rachel N.]

I finally finished the Fillmore book, having the flu didn't help with getting through it. The books I picked for Pierce and Buchanan are relatively short so I hope to finish them both this month and get back on track in time for Lincoln.

Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President-Robert Rayback 3 stars

The author is definitely a fan of the 13th U.S. president. There was way too much fawning over Fillmore for me to give this a higher rating. Fillmore was far from perfect, he's often rated among the worst presidents, but you wouldn't know that from reading this book. What the author does do a good job of is describing the fall of the Whig party and the beginning of the republican party along with setting the scene for the era right before the Civil war. If you can get past all the praise for everything Fillmore did I'd say the book was a worthwhile read.

I'm also going to include Regina's review because she summed up my feelings about the book wonderfully.
Rayback sets up a promising premsie for the book. One in which the traditional view of Fillmore as a "weak and pompous president" is challenged and a more fully explored Whig party is presented. Rayback asserts that Fillmore's was truly a statesman and the popular view held is manipulated by his enemies, Thurlow Weed and William Seward. However, his arguments fall flat, the work comes across as a biased account of the presidency, and Fillmore, in my opinion, still comes across as a very weak leader.

What I think Raback does do successfully, however, is relate the circumstances that caused the disintegration of the Whig Party and ushered in the Republican Party. Additionally, Rayback does explore some interesting aspects of Fillmore's career: his role in the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act, the inner-party fighting between Fillmore and Weed, the exploration of a canal through Latin America, shortening travel between Asia and America, and what may be the turning point of separation of Church in State as we know it today. The reader can't help but understand a little more why we are marching towards the Civil War as well.

Rayback's writing style is descriptive and he certainly has a good command of the Enghlish languate. However, I felt each chapter was about 10 pages too long.

Overall, I think this contributes to our exercise of building our knowledge of American history but would not recommend this to the casual reader, as it took quite a bit of focus for me to finish.