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PREFACE
- Wesleyan University Press
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PRefACe Aa In 1911, when Morgan Bulkeley finished his only term in the u.s. Senate, the Hartford Courant printed this summary: ‘‘To some he’s ‘Senator’ Bulkeley; To many, he’s ‘President’ Bulkeley; Then again, he’s the ‘Honorable’ Mr. Bulkeley. But his close friends, those who know him well, call him by the title he likes best, ‘Governor’ Bulkeley, and when they do, he does not feel the least slighted because they did not use the term ‘Senator.’ To a few intimate friends, he is ‘Morgan G.,’ but they are the inner circle’’ (‘‘The Grill Room,’’ Hartford Courant, November 23, 1913, 8). Crowbar Governor considers the years when Morgan Bulkeley was in his political prime and the undisputed boss of Connecticut’s Republican Party. This was the Gilded Age—a fascinating time for the country and for Connecticut in particular. Hartford led the country in infrastructure, wealth, and beauty—and Bulkeley came into his political prime just in time to shape it and to savor it. Morgan Bulkeley’s name has been attached to many of Hartford’s landmarks, but he remains one of the most controversial politicians the Charter Oak City has ever produced. Early in his political career, Bulkeley realized that almost every candidate he faced turned in a superior resume. In order to win, Bulkeley would adopt increasingly unpopular and corrupt election practices. His antics were all but ignored, and he accomplished a great deal for Hartford and for Connecticut. Morgan enjoyed the political arena, but politics was only an avocation at first. His whole political career emerged as a great surprise. He started late. Bulkeley wasn’t elected to Hartford’s common council until he was thirty-seven. At forty-one, he settled into his life’s work, and he didn’t marry until he was forty-seven. However, during his eighty-four years, he knew everyone of prominence in the United States including each president from Ulysses Grant to Warren Harding. He easily traveled all over the United States forging relationships that would help him and the Connecticut governments he served. Born the middle son and later expected to become a dry goods clerk, Morgan Bulkeley assumed the role of eldest son when his brother Charlie died in uniform . This slated Morgan to take Judge Bulkeley’s place at the helm of Aetna Life Insurance Company after the Civil War. He neither chose nor necessarily wanted x p r e f a c e the job, but he would build the business of Aetna Life eightfold, and would use his position to serve his constituency and his country. He was shrewd, pragmatic, sometimes wildly vindictive—but he was also courteous, loyal, and even kind. He wasn’t a ‘‘man for all seasons,’’ but he accomplished an enormous amount without receiving even a high school diploma . In the pantheon of Connecticut politics, he has his own special place. Love him or hate him, he remains one of the most interesting and complex politicians Connecticut has ever produced. [3.239.57.87] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 13:26 GMT) CROwBAR GOVeRNOR Aa the bulkeley genealogy Judge Eliphalet Adams Bulkeley Lydia Smith Morgan Bulkeley Mary Morgan Charles Edwin Morgan Gardner William Henry Mary Jerusha Eliphalet Adams, Jr. (Died Young) (Died-Civil War) (Died Young) Fannie Briggs Houghton Emma Gurney Leverett Brainard Morgan Gardner, Jr. Elinor Houghton Houghton Six children Ten children ...