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Rating: 
Summary: The president sandwiched in between Grover Cleveland
Review: You would think that Benjamin Harrison would be a little more in vogue right now than he is at the present time, given the current occupant of the White House. Like George W. Bush and John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison was the descendant of a President (albeit grandson instead of son) and like the other two was elected to the Presidency despite losing the popular vote. Both Adams and Harrison lost rematches with their opponents, Andrew Jackson and Grover Cleveland respectively, and it will certainly be interesting to see what happens with a Bush-Gore rematch, if such a thing actually comes to pass. Susan Clinton begins this juvenile biography of Benjamin Harrison the way most volumes in the Encyclopedia of Presidents series begins, with a pivotal moment from the subject's life. For Harrison is it the Civil War battle of Peachtree Creek, where the then Colonel commanded the First Brigade of the Third Division in the Army of the Cumberland. For his efforts in the battle, Harrison was promoted to general and in 1888 he would become the last Civil War general to be elected president (because McKinley was never a general). Clinton traces Harrison's career after the war from lawyer to Senator and then to President. Actually, for a one-term president, who saw most of his policies overturned by Grover Cleveland, the once and future president, Clinton does an excellent job of covering his administration. One of the benefits of going through these biographies of the presidents (in alphabetical order for those of you following along) is that the rule of thumb is that the value of these books is the inverse of the president's success and popularity. Before reading this book I had pretty much dismissed Benjamin Harrison as a historical footnote; after all, his Secretary of State James G. Blaine usually gets more ink in your standard American History textbook than Harrison. However, anyone will find it hard to forget about an incumbent president whose wife dies during his re-election campaign. This book is illustrated with historic photographs and illustrations, including a few fascinating political cartoons from that time. After reading this informative biography I have added Benjamin Harrison to the short list of presidents who could have done better if only the politicians had not gotten in his way.
Rating:
Summary: The president sandwiched in between Grover Cleveland
Review: You would think that Benjamin Harrison would be a little more in vogue right now than he is at the present time, given the current occupant of the White House. Like George W. Bush and John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison was the descendant of a President (albeit grandson instead of son) and like the other two was elected to the Presidency despite losing the popular vote. Both Adams and Harrison lost rematches with their opponents, Andrew Jackson and Grover Cleveland respectively, and it will certainly be interesting to see what happens with a Bush-Gore rematch, if such a thing actually comes to pass. Susan Clinton begins this juvenile biography of Benjamin Harrison the way most volumes in the Encyclopedia of Presidents series begins, with a pivotal moment from the subject's life. For Harrison is it the Civil War battle of Peachtree Creek, where the then Colonel commanded the First Brigade of the Third Division in the Army of the Cumberland. For his efforts in the battle, Harrison was promoted to general and in 1888 he would become the last Civil War general to be elected president (because McKinley was never a general). Clinton traces Harrison's career after the war from lawyer to Senator and then to President. Actually, for a one-term president, who saw most of his policies overturned by Grover Cleveland, the once and future president, Clinton does an excellent job of covering his administration. One of the benefits of going through these biographies of the presidents (in alphabetical order for those of you following along) is that the rule of thumb is that the value of these books is the inverse of the president's success and popularity. Before reading this book I had pretty much dismissed Benjamin Harrison as a historical footnote; after all, his Secretary of State James G. Blaine usually gets more ink in your standard American History textbook than Harrison. However, anyone will find it hard to forget about an incumbent president whose wife dies during his re-election campaign. This book is illustrated with historic photographs and illustrations, including a few fascinating political cartoons from that time. After reading this informative biography I have added Benjamin Harrison to the short list of presidents who could have done better if only the politicians had not gotten in his way.
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