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  • Church and State in the City: Catholics and Politics in Twentieth-Century San Francisco by William Issel
  • Richard Gribble C.S.C.
Church and State in the City: Catholics and Politics in Twentieth-Century San Francisco. By William Issel. (Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 2012. Pp. x, 325. $29.95 paperback. ISBN 978-1-4399-0992-8.)

One myth associated with San Francisco is that it has been a city controlled by radicals where religion has had little influence. However, the historian William Issel in Church and State in the City: Catholics and Politics in Twentieth-Century San Francisco has expertly debunked this notion. In an exhaustively researched and well-written monograph he has ably achieved his goal of reconsidering San Francisco history by taking into account the role of Catholic faith-based activism. In this new interpretation, Issel has made a strong case for the interaction of faith and politics in the City by the Bay. [End Page 586]

Issel's work, presented through an introduction, eleven thematic and generally chronological chapters, and a conclusion, has given the reader a fresh look at the people and events that shaped San Francisco's history. In the early chapters the author has shown how Catholic Action supported organized labor during the Progressive and New Deal eras. Significant personalities such as Peter Yorke, Archbishop Edward Hanna, his successor John Mitty, and later Bishop Hugh Donahue supported major work stoppages, including the 1901 Waterfront Strike and the 1934 Longshoremen's Strike. Such interventions are used to illustrate Issel's thesis of how Catholic faith-based activism was highly influential in the city's history. These men and others used Rerum Novarum (1891) and similar documents as the basis for their support of organized labor.

Beyond organized labor, Issel's work describes several other social issues of importance in twentieth-century San Francisco. He addresses the role of women, various aspects of the civil rights movement, city redevelopment, desegregation of public education, and the fight to keep the city free of major interstate highways. He closes the book by addressing the social and cultural impact of the 1960s counterculture on the city. Issel concludes that although San Francisco was not unique in demonstrating faith-based activism by Catholics, "its history demonstrates a distinctive expression of the American encounter between religion and politics" (p. 253).

Issel has done a commendable job in presenting a revisionist history of twentieth-century San Francisco, a city he knows well from living there and his past scholarly works on the subject. The monograph is richly contextualized and well organized; Issel has an engaging narrative style. As one familiar with the history of the city, especially the period 1900 to 1935, the book engaged this reviewer from the beginning. The very helpful introduction presents Issel's thesis, which is more than adequately proven through the text.

Although this monograph has clearly demonstrated how Catholic faith-based activism was influential in many aspects of twentieth-century San Francisco, the text is uneven in how the Church and its teachings were manifested. For example, when discussing area redevelopment, desegregation in schools, and San Francisco's "freeway revolt," the role of the Church seems minimal compared with its support of organized labor. This may indeed be because Catholic activism in these areas was historically not as prominent, but, if so, it should be made clearer. The text is a bit redundant in certain areas where the background and/or awards of individuals are presented more than once in various chapters. Additionally, a few errors are evident— notably, the U.S. Supreme Court decision Pierce v. Society of Sisters was adjudicated in 1925, not 1922 (p. 59); and the characterization of James Gillis, C.S.P., as a liberal thinker (p. 68) is a misstep. [End Page 587]

Issel has made a significant contribution to the history of San Francisco as well as Church-state issues. Written for scholars, as well as San Francisco history buffs, this monograph has brought a new dimension to the history of the city, filling a lacuna and thereby adding significantly to an important element of U.S. and Catholic history.

Richard Gribble C.S.C.
Stonehill College...

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