Herbert H. Lehman: A Political Biography

Description

This new biography of Herbert Lehman the first in a half century fills the void left by historians and political scientists who have neglected one of the truly great liberal icons of the mid-twentieth century. Based on extensive research in archival sources, "Herbert H. Lehman" restores this four-term Governor of New York, US Senator, national and international humanitarian, and political reformer to his rightful place among the pantheon of liberal heroes of his era. By focusing on Lehman s interactions with Al Smith, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, and John Kennedy, Duane Tananbaum shows how Lehman succeeded politically despite his refusal to compromise with his conscience. In his thirty-five years of public service, Herbert Lehman fought the Republicans in the State Legislature to provide economic security for New Yorkers during the Great Depression, and he battled the bureaucrats in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration to feed the starving people in Europe and Asia during and after World War II. His efforts on behalf of the welfare state, civil rights legislation, and immigration reform helped keep the liberal agenda alive until Congress, and the nation, were ready to enact it into law as part of Lyndon Johnson s Great Society in 1964 1965." Contents List of Illustrations Preface Chapter 1 “A Dearly Beloved Friend”: Herbert Lehman and Lillian Wald Chapter 2 “On a Chinese Laundry Ticket”: Herbert Lehman and Al Smith I II III IV V Chapter 3 “That Splendid Right Hand of Mine”: Lieutenant Governor Herbert Lehman and Governor Franklin Roosevelt I II III IV Chapter 4 “The New Deal in Washington Is Being Duplicated by the ‘Little’ New Deal at Albany”: Governor Lehman and President Roosevelt, 1933–1936 I II III IV V VI Chapter 5 “The End of a Beautiful Friendship”? Lehman and Roosevelt, 1937–1939 I II III IV V VI Chapter 6 “Fighting for Freedom, for Security, and for the Dignity of Man”: Lehman and Roosevelt, 1933–1942 I II III IV V VI Chapter 7 “Governor Lehman . . . Doesn’t Know the Way Things Are Done in Washington”: Lehman, Roosevelt, and OFRRO, 1942–1943 I II III IV V Chapter 8 “Freedom from Want”: Lehman, Roosevelt, and UNRRA, 1943–1945 I II III IV V VI VII VIII Chapter 9 “UNRRA’s Problem Is That It Is Trying to Cover a 6-Foot Man with a 2-Foot Blanket”: Herbert Lehman, Harry Truman, and UNRRA, 1945 I II III IV V VI Chapter 10 “The Work of UNRRA . . . Will Ever Be Close to My Heart”: Lehman and Truman, 1946 I II III IV Chapter 11 “Fighting for the Cause of Progressive and Liberal Government”: Lehman and Truman, 1946–1948 I II III IV V Chapter 12 “If You Could See the Kind of People in New York City Making Up This Bloc That Is Voting for My Opponent”: Lehman and the Election of 1949 I II III IV Chapter 13 “I Will Not Compromise with My Conscience”: Lehman and McCarthyism, 1950–1952 I II III IV V VI Chapter 14 “A Poison Has Begun Spreading Throughout Our Land”: Lehman and McCarthyism, 1953–1954 I II III IV V Chapter 15 “The First Duty of Liberals Is Not to Exercise Power, but to Uphold Principle”: Herbert Lehman and Lyndon Johnson, 1950–1954 I II III IV V VI VII VIII Chapter 16 “An Inveterate Crusader”: Lehman and Johnson, 1955–1956 I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX Chapter 17 “A Symbol of Courage and Conscience in Public Affairs”: Herbert Lehman and the Election of 1956 I II III IV V Chapter 18 “A Little Less Profile and a Little More Courage”: Herbert Lehman and John Kennedy, 1950–1959 I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX Chapter 19 “You Weren’t Double-Crossed, I Was”: Herbert Lehman, John Kennedy, and the Bosses, 1958–1960 I II III IV V VI VII VIII Chapter 20 “To Free This City . . . from the Shackles of the Boss System”: Herbert Lehman and the Bosses, 1961–1963 I II III IV V VI VII Chapter 21 “To Inspire Men and Women of All Generations”: Herbert Lehman and President Kennedy, 1961–1963 I II III IV V VI Chapter 22 “We Mourn That He Is Gone but Glad That He Had Lived”: Herbert Lehman and President Johnson, 1963–1964 I II III IV V Conclusion “Consistently Liberal”: Herbert Lehman and Liberalism Notes Bibliography Manuscript Sources Oral Histories Newspapers and Periodicals Government Documents Books, Articles, Dissertations, and Presentations Index