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The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt

Lewis L. Gould

xii, 356 pages, 6 x 9
American Presidency Series
Cloth ISBN 978-0-7006-0435-7, $35.00
Paper ISBN 978-0-7006-0565-1, $15.95

Book Cover ImageTheodore Roosevelt was hearty, frank, friendly, and bold-a president so popular that many Americans believed they knew him personally. Through the force of his personality and excitement of his adventuring, he wove the presidency into the fabric of daily life as no other president had done. Nearly a century later he is remembered as our most colorful chief executive.

In this comprehensive study, historian Lewis Gould uses primary sources and the most recent scholarship to capture the excitement and controversy of Roosevelt's White House years.

Theodore Roosevelt was the first to personalize the modern presidency, Gould argues. He then used his popular appeal to address fundamental, controversial questions: What is the proper role of government in regulating the economy? What is the best relationship between government and the business community? To what extent should the nation pursue a policy of social justice? What are the responsibilities that accompany world power?

Gould brings the big picture into focus with his in-depth examination of the successes and failures of Roosevelt's administration and his sure-footed analysis of Roosevelt's influence on national politics. But he also moves in for close-ups. With a keen eye for family life and personal detail, he reveals not only Theodore Roosevelt the politician, but the private man as well-the man once described as a combination of St. Vitus and St. Paul.

"A model of thorough research, balanced judgment, and persuasive argument. . . . An invaluable contribution to understanding Roosevelt's presidency and its influence over reform and the evolution of the national government in the twentieth century."--Journal of American History

"An excellent book. Readers will profit greatly from Gould's trenchant analyses of the major events, issues, problems, and policies of the period."--Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

"This book deserves to be read by a large general audience trying to understand not only Roosevelt but also the development of the modern presidency. It will become the standard work on the subject."--Robert Dallek, author of The American Style of Foreign Policy

"Unquestionably the most authoritative account of Theodore Roosevelt's presidency."--William H. Harbaugh, author of Power and Responsibility: The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt and editor of The Writings of Theodore Roosevelt

LEWIS L. GOULD is Emeritus Professor of History and a Fellow of the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. His numerous other books include The Modern American Presidency, The Presidency of William McKinley, Lady Bird Johnson: Our Environmental First Lady, and The Spanish-American War and President McKinley.