Alfred E. Smith, the happy warrior / Christopher M. Finan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Finan, Christopher M., 1953-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Smith, Alfred Emanuel, 1873-1944.

Smith, Alfred Emanuel.

Presidential candidates--United States--Biography.

Presidential candidates.

United States.

Governors--New York (State)--Biography.

Governors.

New York (State).

New York (State)--Politics and government--1865-1950.

Politics and government.

United States--Politics and government--1901-1953.

Presidents--United States--Election--1928.

Presidents.

Irish Americans--Biography.

Irish Americans.

Catholics--United States--Biography.

Catholics.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

x, 396 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Hill and Wang, 2002.

Summary:

Alfred E. Smith lost the 1928 presidential election by a landslide. Herbert Hoover and the Republicans sailed into office on a wave of prosperity, the promise of a chicken in every pot, and the support of the Ku Klux Klan. In retrospect, it may seem that the brash Catholic anti-Prohibitionist from New York's Lower East Side never stood a chance, but at the time, millions of Catholics and Jews rallied behind the "Happy Warrior" in the belief that he was going to shatter the unwritten law that only a Protestant could be elected president.

The meteoric rise and dramatic fall of Al Smith may be well known -- from his job at the Fulton Fish Market, through his years in the state legislature and as four-time governor of New York, to his crushing defeat in 1928 and his final, puzzling defection from the Democratic Party in 1936 -- but Christopher M. Finan's important new biography offers insights into Smith's early years in New York politics that change our perspective. He provides a fascinating interpretation of Smith's break with Franklin Roosevelt, his successor as governor and someone he considered a close friend: Finan believes the split was more FDR's doing than Smith's, arguing persuasively that Roosevelt captured the Democratic nomination in 1932 by actively seeking the support of Smith's enemies, including the anti-Catholic Southern Democrats who had rejected Smith four years earlier. In addition, Finan skillfully explores Smith's personal life, and he has uncovered compelling information about Smith's financial dealings during his governorship. The result is a full, nuanced study of one of America's most intriguing -- and misunderstood -- politicians.

Contents:

1 Great Expectations 7

2 Making It 28

3 Strangers at the Door 49

4 Doing Good 72

5 Reconstruction 104

6 The Vocation of Politics 129

7 The Klan Rides Again 157

8 Protestant Triumph 187

9 The Gateway of Opportunity 231

10 Return of the Happy Warrior 255

11 Repeal and Reform 286

12 Minority Leader 318.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [351]-371) and index.

ISBN:

0809030330

OCLC:

49305356