George Humphrey, Charles Wilson and Eisenhower's War on Spending / James Worthen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Worthen, James, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Statesmen.

History.

Cabinet officers.

Government spending policy.

Budget.

United States--Politics and government--1953-1961.

United States.

Politics and government.

Humphrey, George M. (George Magoffin), 1890-1970.

Humphrey, George M.

Wilson, Charles Erwin, 1890-1961.

Wilson, Charles Erwin.

Budget--United States--History--20th century.

Government spending policy--United States--History--20th century.

Cabinet officers--United States--History--20th century.

Statesmen--United States--History--20th century.

Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969.

Eisenhower, Dwight D.

Physical Description:

v, 262 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2019]

Summary:

"The first Republican president since the Great Depression, Dwight Eisenhower was the victorious Supreme Allied Commander of World War II's European Theater, but a political novice when he moved into the White House in 1953. To help make domestic policy, he recruited two of the country's richest businessmen-Cleveland industrialist George Humphrey and General Motors President Charles Wilson-with the goals of ensuring American postwar prosperity and developing a defense posture against the nuclear threat of the Soviet Union. This book provides the first detailed examination of how Humphrey and Wilson helped shape Eisenhower's policies and priorities. Persuasive and charming, Treasury Secretary Humphrey was obsessed with cutting spending. Defense Secretary Wilson-whose departmental funding comprised most of the federal budget-bore the brunt of Humphrey's anti-spending campaign, while struggling to master his brief and control the restive military bureaucracy. The frugality of the Humphrey-Wilson years manifested in an unambitious domestic agenda and a military that seemed to lag behind the Soviets in key areas, leading to disastrous Republican losses in the elections of 1958 and 1960."-Provided by publisher. Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: Republicans at Sea

Prologue: Eisenhower to the Rescue

Recruiting a team

Eisenhower's businessmen

Paths to public service

Sizing up the newcomers

Eisenhower the President

Eisenhower's economists

Humphrey goes to work

Wilson in the maelstrom

Humphrey and the 1953-54 recession

Humphrey and his Critics

"A banker's mentality": Humphrey and foreign aid

Wilson, Humphrey and the "new look"

1956: Wilson's troubles Worsen

The Price of prosperity

Humphrey for President?

The "battle of the budget" and its aftermath

Ike, Humphrey and Wilson in retrospect.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-258) and index.

ISBN:

9781476677859

1476677859

OCLC:

1106172116

Publisher Number:

40029447627