-
Acknowledgments
- University of Missouri Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
Acknowledgments This book would not have been possible without those who have diligently researched individual presidents’ intellectual lives. Ralph Ketcham ’s James Madison: A Biography is the gold standard of this kind of research. C. Bradley Thompson’s John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty and Niels Aage Thorsen’s Political Thought of Woodrow Wilson deserve special mention as excellent contributions within the discipline. These and many other scholars writing in this vein provide metaphorical shoulders for me to stand upon. There are a number of journalists who do good work in this area as well. David Maraniss and David Brooks are easily two of the best. For each president I have developed my own understanding and interpretation , but previous research has made this easier with some of the figures I discuss here. Equally vital in facilitating this work are the documentary compilations of presidents’ writings and speeches. Compiling and publishing the papers from a well-known life is a monumental task. From The Papers of John Adams to The Papers of Woodrow Wilson, these compilations have provided critical source material. Some may doubt the merit of printing every extant written fragment of a president’s life, but important pieces of my puzzle were found in documents which almost surely would not have been included in briefer compilations. Thanks go to the editors of these collections, from Charles Francis Adams to Julian P. Boyd and Arthur Link. They, their associates, and the publishing houses which saw fit to bring this information to light have done the American people a great service . Collecting and disseminating the papers and writings of presidents is a tradition which must continue, though it is threatened by the twin challenges of “executive privilege” and the decreasing economic viability of academic publishing. Those who have read this manuscript through offered many important suggestions which helped to improve the book a great deal. James H. Read understands American political thought as well as anyone I know, xv xvi and he has been consistently willing to donate his time and share his expertise . Paul Schumaker urged me to see even more value in this work than I claimed for it by helping me to bring the book into the present era. Robert Booth Fowler continues to be a valued mentor and an important intellectual resource. Brian Dahlstrom demonstrates that the best studentteacher relationships never end with his continuing interest in what I have written and his valuable suggestions, though our brief classroom experience ended long ago. Discussants at several conferences helped me to clarify my arguments and to more clearly conceptualize the book as a whole. They include Edward Heck, Evan Oxman, Robyn Marasco, Eric Beerbohm, Shirley Anne Warshaw, and Sean J. Savage. I also received valuable advice and assistance from Charles O. Jones, George C. Edwards III, Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy, John Bachman, William A. Galston, C. Bradley Thompson , and John P. Kaminski. This project would not have been finished expeditiously without the assistance of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Faculty Development Program, under the able direction of Linda Freed. Research on Presidents Madison and Clinton was completed with the aid of faculty-development grants. A one-year sabbatical in 2007–2008 offered me the opportunity to conduct further research and time to write the manuscript. I am proud to be at a school which supports scholarship as a means of increasing the expertise of its faculty and the vitality of their teaching. Fortuitous hires in recent years have helped the political science department at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh grow into a highly professional, collegial, and supportive environment. I look forward to sharing experiences, professional and otherwise, with my colleagues for many years to come. A Beeke-Levy Research Fellowship enabled me to conduct research at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York. I thank the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for its support and the staff of the Library for their assistance. Thanks go to the University of Missouri Press for enthusiastically supporting the book. Finally, special thanks to my family. It is a blessing to have parents who value learning and who encouraged me to pursue it as far as I was able. Roger and Janice Siemers know that I am still at it. My brother, Jeff, a reference librarian, assisted me in tracking down some key sources and helps to distract me from political theory with canoeing and other fun pastimes. I want to dedicate this book to the...