A Compassionate Conservative: A Political Biography of Joseph W. Martin, Jr., Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

by James J. Kenneally

Overview

"We could use many more like him in our public life," was how Newsweek summed up the career of Joseph W. Martin Jr., a long-time Republican leader and chairman of the Republican National Committee and National Conventions. In this, the first full-length, scholarly examination of Martin's career, readers will encounter a devoted public servant who often modified his party's extreme stances on domestic matters during the Great Depression and on foreign policy issues leading up to World War II. This political biography effectively illustrates that bipartisanship does not mean abandonment of principles, that kindness, integrity, and gentility are compatible with effective leadership, and that close friendships with members of the opposing party can contribute to a more effective Congress.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739106761
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	07/29/2003
Pages:	350
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

James J. Kenneally is Professor Emeritus of history at Stonehill College. He is the author of several books on gender in American history.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 "Drifting Farther and Farther into Politics" Chapter 2 "At the Eye of the Hurricane" Chapter 3 "Often.. . Like Cobra and Mongoose" Chapter 4 "The Speaker.. . Grand Strategist and Guiding Spirit" Chapter 5 "Communist Menace.. . More Alarming than.. . Hitler Menace" Chapter 6 "[Republicans] Shedding the Psychology of Opposition" Chapter 7 "Minority Leader: Meanest Job in the World" Chapter 8 "The Sting of Ingratitude"