Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Empire 1767-1821 by Robert Vincent Remini.
Biography focuses on Jackson's contradictory character and his crucial role in United States territorial expansion. Covers the early years through the Presidential campaign. Andrew Jackson biography series, book 1. RC 12557.
At Ease in the White House by Stephen Bauer.
The author served as an aide under five presidents, from Nixon to Bush, and presents a behind-the-scenes account of social events at the White House. The story of his life is woven into descriptions of receptions, state dinners, and balls, and of meetings with celebrities such as John Denver, Pearl Bailey, and Mamie Eisenhower. RC 33764.
Calvin Coolidge: The Quiet President by Donald R. McCoy.
McCoy's account of the thirtieth president emphasizes the person rather than the times. He describes Coolidge as a cautious, dependable, honest person who had confidence in his work and yet was, for a public figure, modest. Unfortunately Coolidge's rather cautious path, which led people to consider him a success for his time, has also made him a scapegoat for the Great Depression. RC 31107.
Edith and Woodrow: The Wilson White House by Phyllis Lee Levin.
Former New York Times reporter discusses Edith Bolling Galt Wilson's role in running the country, especially after President Woodrow Wilson's 1919 stroke. Using formerly unavailable medical reports, White House memorandums, and internal documents, Levin shows how Edith made herself indispensable to her husband and destroyed his relationship with his friend and advisor Colonel Edward House. RC 54666.
Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington by Richard Brookhiser .
A "moral biography" of the founder and father of the United States. Surveys Washington's role in the Revolutionary War and in forming the new government. Explores his nature, morals, and ideas as they relate to his public career. Examines the implications of the title "political father" of the nation. RC 43942.
The Fox at Bay: Martin Van Buren and the Presidency by James C. Curtis.
President Van Buren's administration, his role as chief executive, his activities as a party leader and his flawed political skills. RC 13622.
From the Door of the White House by Preston Bruce.
A unique view of five American presidents and their families by a man who served as doorman in the White House with Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford. This firsthand account also includes close-ups of many other world figures, the self-contained world of the White House, and some of the most dramatic and important moments in recent history. RC 22314.
The Harding Era: Warren G. Harding and His Administration by Robert K. Murray.
The nomination, election, and presidency of this controversial figure. RC 14742.
James Madison by Garry Wills.
Explores how a successful Founding Father became an ineffectual fourth president. Views James Madison in his role as the first executive to lead a war, in 1812, and the circumstances that influenced his time in office. Traces his life of public service afterwards. American Presidents series. BR 14305.
James Monroe by W.P. Cresson.
Biography of the fifth U.S. President, "the last of the Virginians." Recounts the achievements of President Monroe's eight-year term, a stirring period in American history. Also describes his poverty-stricken later years in New York City and his death in 1831. RC 22875.
Jefferson and Monticello: The Biography of a Builder by Jack McLaughlin.
Designed and built by Thomas Jefferson over many decades, Monticello reflects not only the social and architectural theories of the late eighteenth century, but also the democratic principles of its most famous inhabitant. Provides new insights into Jefferson's personality through a detailed examination of his home. RC 29126.
Jefferson the President: First Term, 1801-1805 by Dumas Malone.
One of the major achievements of Jefferson's first administration was the purchase of the Louisiana territory from France. During this time Jefferson became the acknowledged leader of his party and a patron of learning and science. Jefferson and His Time series, book 4. RC 26157.
John Adams by David G. McCullough.
Award winning author chronicles the life and times of America's second president, New Englander John Adams. Examines his pivotal role as revolutionary, diplomat, and politician as well as his friendship and rivalry with Thomas Jefferson. Primary sources detail his relationship with his wife, Abigail, four children, and notable contemporaries. RC 52275, BR 13426.
John Quincy Adams by Robert Vincent Remini.
Personal and political portrait of John Quincy Adams, sixth president of the United States and son of the second president. Describes his long diplomatic career, his difficulties and accomplishments as commander-in-chief, his return to the House of Representatives after the presidency, and his defense of the participants in the 1839 Amistad slave revolt. American Presidents series. BR 14399.
John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, a Private Life by Paul C. Nagel.
Based on Adams's diary and correspondence, this biography depicts his family life as well as his political career. Covers his negotiation of the Monroe Doctrine, his successful defense of the Amistad antislavery case before the Supreme Court, and his term as the sixth United States president. RC 45653, BR 11349 .
The Last of the Fathers: James Madison and The Republican Legacy by Drew R. McCoy.
An associate professor of American history at Harvard University concentrates on Madison's final years, from 1817, when he retired from public office, until his death in 1836. As the only surviving member of the revolutionary patriarchs, Madison represented a bridge between the founding of a constitutional government and the emerging of a democratic society. RC 31565 .
Lincoln by David Herbert Donald.
Pulitzer Prize winner David Donald analyzes Lincoln's presidency from a psychological perspective, looking at the information and background the sixteenth president brought to his decisions. Donald's biography incorporates insights from the Abraham Lincoln Papers, which were sealed at the time of earlier major biographies. The influences of Lincoln's loving stepmother, his beautiful and well connected wife, and others on his life are explored. RC 44059 .
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Penetrating biography of the late president, based on interviews taken during the last five years of his life. Highlights Johnson's thoughts and personal life and offers insights into the American political system. Some strong language. RC 9793.
The Man from Monticello: An Intimate Life of Thomas Jefferson by Thomas J. Fleming.
Life of the third president of the United States, from his youthful hopes and dreams to his maturation as statesman, diplomat, architect, and author. RC 18629.
Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro.
The third volume of a biographical study of the thirty-sixth president, following The Path to Power (RC 18676) and Means of Ascent (RC 30837). Explains how Johnson, elected to the Senate in 1949, mastered the legislative system and maneuvered himself into the vice-presidency in 1960. Lyndon B. Johnson biography series, book 3. Some strong language. RC 54174.
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt; The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
A portrait of the president and the first lady during World War II. Based on her examination of their papers, and interviews with their friends and family, Goodwin analyzes the Roosevelts' adversities, achievements, and leadership from interrelated political, social, intellectual, and personal perspectives. RC 39154.
Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant.
The general tells about his life and the martial accomplishments that made him great. His ancestry, boyhood experiences, and years at West Point are described. He writes of his marriage to Julia Dent, but the main thrust of this work is the devastation of war. RC 24377.
The Presidency of Andrew Johnson by Albert E. Castel.
Andrew Johnson is known primarily for his role in Reconstruction after the Civil War. However, the author points out foreign, economic, and Native American policies that also loomed large during Johnson's presidency. Much is known about what Johnson did, but little is known about his motivation. He kept no diary and wrote few letters. The author assesses Johnson's use of power, not whether he accomplished good by the use of that power. The Presidency Of series, Book 17. RC 31300.
The Presidency of Calvin Coolidge by Robert H. Ferrell.
Portrait of Coolidge's youth in Vermont, his years at Amherst College, and his careers as a lawyer, Massachusetts governor, vice president, and thirtieth United States president. Explores social, economic, and foreign affairs issues faced by his 1920s administration. Depicts Coolidge as an honest and devoted civil servant. The Presidency Of series, book 30. RC 49654.
The Presidencies of Grover Cleveland by Richard E. Welch.
Cleveland, the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president, served during the Gilded Age in American history, a time when there was an intense conflict between old values and social changes. Welch shows how Cleveland's personality and ideology affected his terms in office in 1885-1889 and 1893-1897. The Presidency Of series, book 24. RC 29846, BR 7834.
The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln by Phillip S. Paludan.
A Civil War scholar analyzes Lincoln's administration. Proceeding chronologically, Paludan examines Lincoln's presidency beginning with his election and the formation of his cabinet. The author asserts that no other president ever faced greater challenges in defending the oath of office. And he credits Lincoln with resolving two of the greatest struggles in American history: saving the Union and freeing the slaves. The Presidency Of series, book 16. RC 39423.
The Presidency of George Washington by Forrest McDonald.
The author explores the reputation of the first president and its role in American history, arguing that the mystique surrounding Washington allowed a divided and contentious young country to trust executive authority and establish the office of president. McDonald also describes Washington's administration and the end of his immunity to public criticism. The Presidency Of series, book 1. RC 43027, BR 4402.
The Presidency of James Monroe by Noble E. Cunningham.
Biography of the fifth president of the United States focuses on the period of Monroe's presidency, from 1817 to 1825. Summarizing Monroe's life and career during the Revolutionary War and under Presidents Jefferson and Madison, the biography describes and analyzes Monroe's actions and accomplishments as president, the highlights of which were the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the promulgation of the important Monroe Doctrine in 1823. The Presidency Of series, book 5. RC 42165.
A Rendezvous with Destiny: The Roosevelts of the White House by Elliott Roosevelt and James Brough.
A detailed memoir of the personal life and public concerns of the thirty-second President by his son. Roosevelt's account covers affairs of state, significant figures of the time, his parents' marriage, and domestic adventures of the family. RC 10346.
Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris.
The sequel to The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (RC 14168) concentrates on T.R.'s two terms of office as president following the assassination of William McKinley in 1901. Discusses Roosevelt's major achievements, including a Nobel Peace Prize, the Panama Canal Treaty, and enduring antitrust and conservation legislation. Theodore Roosevelt biography series, book 2. Some strong language. RC 53306.
Theodore Roosevelt: A Life by Nathan Miller.
In this biography of the outspoken twenty-sixth president of the United States, Miller questions why Theodore Roosevelt's public image remains strong more than seventy years after his death. "T.R.," as he was known, is indelibly portrayed on Mount Rushmore. Here the author examines T.R.'s personality, interests, use of power, statements, and politics for clues to the myth and the longevity of his reputation. RC 36127.
Truman by David G. McCullough.
A monumental study of the life and times of the plainspoken, plain-looking, "ordinary" man from Missouri who became an extraordinary president. McCullough details Truman's accomplishments as a politician and a statesman, as well as his failings and his lack of sophistication. And the author recreates the famous 1948 presidential election, which he calls Truman's finest hour. RC 34820.
With Malice toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen B. Oates.
Sympathetic portrait of the complex President. Seen as richly human, Lincoln was troubled by melancholy and deeply committed to the rights of all people. RC 11680.
Woodrow Wilson by August Heckscher.
A biography of the twenty-eighth president of the United States by a former president of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and editor of the Wilson papers. The author traces Wilson's academic life as a political science professor and university president, followed by his political career as a governor and the chief executive. Heckscher discusses Wilson's failure to act on his opposition to racial segregation, and his crusade for entry into the League of Nations. RC 35502.