One Book for Every US President

Smellincoffee

Smellincoffee

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For several weeks I've been thinking about the idea of reading a biography or a work surveying the respective significance of every single American president -- a private course of study, you might say, one meant to last several years. I read biographies of George Washington and John Adams back in July, so I'll grandfather them in and start with Thomas Jefferson. I'll probably skip William Henry Harrison, who died before he did much in office other than be sworn in, but my intention is to cover everyone from the obscure to the exhalted.

So, what reccommendations would you make? Which presidential biographies really stand out -- and has anyone read biographies of the more obscure executives?
 
I'm working on something like this myself, but will probably cut off the contemporary era (too politicized to have a really good and clear-eyed biography yet).

I've read McCullough's biographies on John Adams and Harry Truman, and thoroughly enjoyed them. I'd recommend Edmund Morris on Theodore Roosevelt, but since he broke up his work into a 3-volume set you might only want to read the middle one on his presidency if that is what you are focusing on (Theodore Rex). The two presidential assassination books that came out nearly simultaneously are quite good as well (Miller's President and the Assassin on McKinley and Millard's Destiny of the Republic on Garfield). However, each one of them contains a significant quantity of material on the assassins as well as the state of the world and medical technology, etc. so they aren't quite focused as biographies.
 
I tried to find a good bio of Jefferson at the library once. The one I settled on, I don't even recall the author, wasn't impressive. But none of the others seemed to be better. I don't know that a really good one has been done for all the presidents. Not even all the best known of them.
 
I can't recommend American Lion--it was supposed to be exclusively focused around Jackson's time in the White House (which I thought would be a plus, I was already familiar with his earlier life), but it ended up being a gossip fest over the Eaton affair. I only remember being bored while reading it, almost didn't finish it several times but forced myself to in the hopes it would pick up but it never did.
 
There are some presents who I would probably prefer finding a smaller volume for: Jackson is one of them.

Can anyone comment on Doris Kearns Goodwin's Traitor to his Class regarding FDR?
 
I am a fan of DKG's other works, but I have not read this one specifically. It is on my short list of books to read, so I might find out in a year or two.
 
Smellincoffee said:
...everyone from the obscure to the exhalted.
Click to expand...

Having recently visited the McKinley Museum in Canton I picked up Margaret Leech's In the Days of McKinley in the gift shop, along with the usual dinosaur erasers and rainbow pens. I'm about halfway through and it's surprisingly good. A lot of interesting people surrounded the President - John Hay, Elihu Root, Teddy Roosevelt, Admiral Dewey, Arthur MacArthur, Marcus Hanna and many others - a lot more interesting than William himself.

686 pages, Index, Endnotes, pictures.
 
Glassfan said:
Having recently visited the McKinley Museum in Canton I picked up Margaret Leech's In the Days of McKinley in the gift shop, along with the usual dinosaur erasers and rainbow pens. I'm about halfway through and it's surprisingly good. A lot of interesting people surrounded the President - John Hay, Elihu Root, Teddy Roosevelt, Admiral Dewey, Arthur MacArthur, Marcus Hanna and many others - a lot more interesting than William himself.

686 pages, Index, Endnotes, pictures.
Click to expand...

You've been to the McKinley Museum as well? I was up there earlier this year visiting my extended family.

I got the same impression from Edmund Morris' books on Roosevelt and Miller's book on the assassination--McKinley himself seems to be a weaker personality with tons of colorful characters on the scene and a major divide developing in the Republican Party.
 
Rashiminos said:
Any particular reason? (So if someone wants to refine their suggestion, they might have some input as to how)
Click to expand...

My impression of Jackson is that of an unprofessional demagogue. I'm happy to counter that opinion, but I don't want to read a massive biography on him. 300-400 pages would be fine, I think..
 
Jackson is a ton of contradictions. His reputation was populist, but his leadership was that of a despot. Everyone was either unquestionably his follower, or a traitor to be attacked in any way possible.
 
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