Crusader for Democracy: The Political Life of William Allen White by Charles Delgadillo (review)

William Allen White was a political crusader during some of the most transformational eras in American and global politics. Although he never held political office, he was a savvy strategist who dedicated himself to advancing democracy and elevating those who sought to do the same. In Crusader for Democracy: The Political Life of William Allen White, Charles Delgadillo explores White’s political development, activism, and influence, set against a backdrop of shifting political sands. Delgadillo adeptly chronicles White’s relationships with his mentors, allies, and adversaries, and the interrelationships between his midwestern liberalism, code of political ethics, and political pragmaticism. Crusader for Democracy treats the reader to a historical examination of the politics of William Allen White, and is recommended for anyone seeking a fresh, contemporary view into his lifelong passion for democracy.

The book is organized chronologically and begins with a detailed look into White’s early personal and professional experiences, starting with the influence of his parent’s political activism and the role of key mentors such as Thomas “Bent” Murdock, Calvin Hood, Cyrus Leland, and William R. Nelson. The subsequent chapters focus on significant periods in both White’s life and American history, such as his role in the transition from the Gilded Age into the Progressive Era; his relationship with key officials, such as Theodore Roosevelt; his advocacy for worldwide democratic reform; his promotion of midwestern values; and on the opposition between his commitment to democratic reforms and his pragmatic approach to achieving those larger ideals.

This latter focus is one of the major strengths of this book. Delgadillo skillfully demonstrates the inherent contradictions between White’s political ideals and the means he used to achieve those ideals. For example, although White came to loathe party machines very early on, he also recognized that working with them was a necessary evil to achieve his desired ends. It is also in exploring these dichotomies of White’s life that the book falls a bit short. White considered himself to be an advocate for equality and an opponent of hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan, and yet he reinforced bigoted ideas that were promoted by those groups and used to justify inequitable treatment (or, in the very least, he ignored less overt and violent forms of racism). This inconsistency can perhaps be explained by the context of the time of or by midwestern liberalism more generally, but it is not fully assessed in this text.

Overall, Crusader for Democracy is a useful and contemporary look at the life of William Allen White that will appeal to individuals interested in of American political history and young reformers interested in learning about the political savvy and activism necessary to push for real and lasting change to the American political system.