Trusted Writing on History, Travel, and American Culture Since 1949
FDR
Caught between his campaign for president and his duties as governor, FDR navigated political pressures to force the resignation of New York City’s corrupt mayor, Jimmy Walker.
She functioned as Franklin Roosvelt's de facto chief-of-staff, yet Missy LeHand's role has been misrepresented and overlooked by historians.
Franklin D.
After 65 years, the archives of FDR’s personal secretary are now open to the public.
On June 30, 2010, 14 boxes containing a treasure trove of more than 5000 personal letters, notes, and photographs from the Roosevelt administration and his family arrived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York.
Why do they usually avoid holding conventions in New York?
This summer marks a sea change in the traditions of American party politics.
FRANCE, BRITAIN, AND THE UNITED STATES ALL WANTED TO OWN MARITIME CANADA. IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY.
Americans won’t choose a president who chides them.
How a J. P. Morgan partner and the former Secretary of the Navy defused a revolution just by being good guys
As I sweep the leavings of the 1996 election campaign from my data bank, two antagonistic names emerge with renewed clarity: Jesse Helms and Fidel Castro. Helms is the newly re-elected senator from North Carolina and the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee.
The La Follette children grew up in the painful brilliance shed by an illustrious father.
“One of the worst things in the world is being the child of a president,” Franklin Roosevelt once said.
No Chief Executive has ever made it out of the White House without being scalded.
Remember Admiral Bobby Ray Inman? He was the Clinton Secretary of Defense-designate with a short fuse and an even shorter career as a nominee.
A fine documentary on the Great Depression, an admirable accompanying book, and a truly wretched biography
It has been six years since Henry Hampton’s extraordinary six-part documentary series Eyes on the Prize first ran on public television and reminded us, as nothing ever had before, of the role that ordinary citizens—black and white, but m
In the autumn of 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt was spending what seemed to Washington insiders like a remarkable amount of time in the company of the congressman from the Tenth District of Texas, Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Union Station in wartime Washington. A young man in a Navy uniform escorts a short, stocky blonde woman in her 50s along the crowded platform toward a waiting train.
This country is … ready to pull the trigger if the Japs do anything. I mean we won’t stand any nonsense, public opinion won’t… if they do some fool thing.”
One of FDR's closest aides remembers "the Boss" and a lifetime in politics.
It was the first time in history that British sovereigns had come to see what they lost in 1776. George and Franklin, Elizabeth and Eleanor, hit it off like old friends; even Texas congressmen melted under the royal charm. Brewing was a crucial World War II alliance
A long line of nervous congressmen stood in the Capitol rotunda awaiting the arrival of someone of obviously high importance. Vice President John Nance Garner buzzed among the legislators trying to ease the tension with his famous stories.
A private interview with F.D.R. April 7, 1944
To observe Franklin D. Roosevelt across the barrier interposed between the President and the press was often to have the impression of a brilliant and accomplished actor meeting the challenge of a critical audience.
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