“Gentleman George” Hunt Pendleton: Party Politics and Ideological Identity in Nineteenth-Century America by Thomas S. Mach (review)

BOOK REVIEWS side of Lincoln, as much as his idealism, may render him relevant to pragmatically minded Americans of the twentyfirst century. Brian Dirck Anderson Universitv 1[ homas S.Mach. Gentleman George" Hunt Pendleton:Party Politics and Ideological Identity in NineteentbCentury America. Kent,Oh.:Kent State University Press,2007. 307 pp. ISBN: 9780873389136 ( cloth), 39.95. Mention George Hunt Pendleton to a typical American today and one is likely to get a puzzled or blank stare in return. Some who rnight think of themselves as slightlv more informed might venture, " Of course, he owns the company that makes those wonderful woolen shirts, jackets, skirts, and blankets." It is difficult to imagine anyone recognizing the n ame of arguably one of the most able and significant Democratic politicians from the 18505 to the 1880s. This lack of knowledge about Pendleton is precisely what Thomas Mach attempts to change in his biography of the Ohio Democrat. 1he absence of any major collection of Pendleton papers greatly complicates Mach' s task and is surely the major reason why no one previously has attempted a major scholarly biography of this important individual. Creating a quite readable account from the available sources, such as newspapers , speeches, and scattered letters in a variety of manuscript collections, Mach argues that Pendleton' s political life revolved around three themes. Mach asserts that Pendleton consistently sought to unite Democrats around " traditional Jacksonian principles. Second,he reinterpreted those principles to fit new circumstances , while maintaining a deep sense of loyalty to the Democratic P. arty. The third theme reflected Pendleton' s political nature and ambition. Pendleton believed that by pursuing the first two ideas, he would maximize the chances of personal success. Thus,Mach' s Pendleton emerges as a man of ambition and principle. To a significant degree,Mach supports his assertions by carefully dealing with the major events of Pendleton' s careerhis role in the loyal opposition to the Union war effort, the years of presidential aspirations , his economic and fiscal ideas commonly called the Pendleton plan, and his sponsorship in the early 1880s oflegislation that created the Civil Service Commission. Iii all these cases Mach insists Pendleton, though often appearing to contradict Jacksonian ideals, remained true to them. Ihose who have suggested that Pendleton lacked a coherent and consistent political philosophy have simply misunderstood him. For example, Pendleton insisted that the Civil War debt should be paid with unbacked currency called greenbacks not because he sought a permanent expansion of the currency supply,but rather because he concluded that his propose]would facilitate the most rapid return possible to the gold standard. The commitment to a sound currency based on specie, Mach reminds the reader,was a basic Jacksonian principle. The study is not without flaws. The most frustrating was almost inevitable. The dearth of sources on Pendleton,especially his political and family correspondence , has resulted in a biography that lacks depth. Mach can and does tell the reader what Pendleton did but, beyond SUMMER 2008 93 BOOK REVIEWS m'aking some assumptions about motivation ,cannot really inform the reader why Pendleton took the actions he did. The reader unfortunately,but understandably, learns little about how and what Pendleton actually believed and what motivated him. Mach also is less than convincing when insisting that Pendleton relied on updated Jacksonian principles in an effort to unite the Democrats under his leadership. One could just as easily suggest that Pendleton was a superb politician who wanted to unite the party behind his leadership and failed because the party m·ajority rejected either him or his views or both. While noting several times that Pendleton and the Democrats relied heavily on the voters' racial prejudices and that the Democratic leadership typically shared their supporters ' racial views, Mach still underplays the crucial role race baiting played in the Democrats' resurgence in the immediate postwar years · and 1.ater. Even if Mach' s work contains some flaws, he has certainly provided the best analysis we are likely to have of a major midnineteenth century political leader. Pendleton was a force in the Democratic Party and national politics for over a quarter century during which the nation endured some of its most crucial challenges...