Customer Reviews

American Dreamer: The Life and Times of Henry A. Wallace

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

John C. Culver and John Hyde have written a fascinating biography of Henry A. Wallace, who profoundly influenced the presidencies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. Wallace's influence on FDR was personal, close and positive throughout FDR's presidency. His influence on HST was indirect, which, until Culver and Hyde, has not been revealed to the public so dramatically, clearly and in such detail before.

For too many, their memory of Wallace is limited to one year, 1948, when Wallace was defeated as the Progressive Party candidate for president. Culver and Hyde write how Wallace was a genuine renaissance man, a scientist, businessman, writer, philosopher, and prophet. Throughout his 13 and a half year career as a cabinet member and Vice President, he was extraordinarily successful, innovative, effective and dynamic. In keeping the long view, he was guardian of the heart and soul of our democracy. He forsaw much of what has come to pass and is still yet to be done. Culver and Hyde give us the unvarnished story, which, in sum, leaves the reader with the feeling of being blessed that such a courageous man lived and fought for us. Readers owe a huge debt of gratitude to Culver and Hyde for condensing into one volume such a multi-faceted life. The times alone would have drowned most writers. Synthesizing many sources, some not known before, the authors give us a full portrait of a great and courageous man whose life defined the best of what is a liberal.

Culver and Hyde have produced a beautifully written account of the life and times of Henry A. Wallace. Their fresh account of this brilliant, enigmatic man rescues Wallace from the smears that so tarnished his reputation during the 1948 campaign.

Had I been alive in the 1940s, I would most likely not have voted for Wallace because of his views on foreign policy, but I hope I would have had the sense to admire him for the man of principle and courage he was. He was a rare character in American politics, a figure who was interested in ideas more than power. Sadly, it is usually those with the opposite priorities who prevail in electoral contests, as is amply demonstrated in the book's discussions of the 1944 vice presidential campaign.

I finished "American Dreamer" a fan of Henry Wallace. As was the case when I began the book, I still do not agree with many of his positions. However, I now have a profound respect for this decent, honorable American. This is a very inspirational book, one to be enjoyed during what is shaping up to be a disappointing election year.

Rarely have I read such a well-written political biography of a major figure. AMERICAN DREAMER very ably traces the trajectory of Henry Wallace's career from relative obscurity in the Iowa farm belt to its pinnacle in the Vice Presidency, then the fall from grace from Truman's firing of him as Commerce Secretary through the debacle of the 1948 Progressive Party candidacy for President. Especially fascinating are the parts which trace the reasons for FDR's dumping Wallace in favor of Truman in 1944 and Wallace's increasing distance from the American political mainstream, especially after that point. Viewed from the perspective of post-Cold War America, Wallace's views toward the Soviet Union and World Communism seem to have more validity than they did when he expressed them between the end of World War II and the outbreak of the Korean War; but the authors maintain objectivity about Wallace in this regard and rightly suggest how naive or downright subversive some of his political stances seemed at the time. The book is not without its appreciation of the ironies of Wallace's life and career in politics--how a "rock-ribbed Republican" evolved into one of the most radical national politicians of his generation, and how a scientist and businessman who made a minor fortune from the new hybrid strains of corn which he developed came to be regarded as a closet Communist.

The main thing that is lacking from this biography is a full picture of Henry Wallace the man. There are a number of hints that his family life following his marriage was rather troubled and unhappy, but his wife, children, and siblings remain on the periphery of the authors' presentation. (For example, it mentions that his oldest son never forgave him for one particular disagreement, but never elaborates or returns to their relationship. His wife was obviously uncomfortable with his entrance into electoral politics, but the book never explores this in any depth.) The book also seems to compress its account of the final 15 years of his life to a snapshot at best; it would have been nice to know more about how he viewed American politics--both national and international--in the years preceding his death, how he felt about his relative anonymity, and whether he ever felt fully vindicated for taking the rather lonely political path he took.

As a result, the portrayal of his later life in particular seems to be a bit one dimensional. But these are minor flaws in what is otherwise a captivating biography of a very intricate individual. Most people will learn a lot from this book; I certainly did.

Because I was only 14 at the time of the Progressive Party convention in Philadephia in 1948, the opinion I have held of Henry Wallace ever since is my father's opinion at the time--that Wallace was an unstable, totally impractical mystic, who, if successful in 1948, would have lead the U.S. down the road to socialism. This week I finished the Culver and Hyde book, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the 1940's. It is one of the few biographies I have read that has led to a total reassessemt of an historical figure. Wallace was a complex, brilliant, honest man with a fine ear for the finest aspirations of Americans and absolutely no ear for practical politics. Culver and Hyde have given us a page-turner and remarkably objective account of an entire era, and they tell us much about an entire cast of memorable characters, including FDR, Sumner Wills, Jesse Jones, Harry Truman, George Marshall and many, many more.

Culver and Hyde have given Iowan Henry A. Wallace the biography that he has deserved. American Dreamer is a captivating story about the New Deal's truest believer and the strongest advocate for the American farmer. Everyone who is interested in American politics in the 20th Century and everyone who is interested in farm economics, farm politics and the revolution in hybrid seed should read this book.

This is undoubtedly one of the most impressive political biographies I've ever read. I have to confess from the outset (with a tad of embarrassment) that I pretty much had no idea who Henry A. Wallace was when I picked up this book. What shocked me most after reading 'American Dreamer' was how a man that was so revered and despised in his time has been so conveniently left out of any present discourse on that era.

In 'American Dreamer', Hyde and Culver give a well-written and balanced account of the life on one of the most enigmatic and progressive political leaders that America has ever produced. Why his name has never come up in years of taking history courses amazes me- especially in light of the fact that his thoughts on the cold war, which he tried desperately to steer us away from, turned out to be quite prescient.

Henry Agard Wallace was Secretary of Agriculture for eight years, Vice President for four and Commerce Secretary for a short time before his forced ouster. Wallace ran for the Presidency in 1948 on the Progressive ticket, lost, and then left public office. What Wallace left us during this time was a legacy of innovative leadership, genuine public service and a virtual revolution in agriculture.

Wallace eschewed the world of dog eat dog politics and preferred appealing directly to the public than orchestrating back room machinations. He was honest, direct, practical and always put the public good above his own wants or ambitions. In short, he had everything that seems to be lacking in the American political spectrum today.

As I read the book I couldn't help but think what would have happened if Wallace had remained Vice President (instead of Truman) and therefore become President at Roosevelt's death. It seems to me that the worse excesses of the cold war and the red scare could have been avoided and that US policy in just about every area may have been put on a more evenly keeled tack for the future (it would have been undone later, but hell, it's a start).

Wallace was often accused of being an impractical dreamer- but if what he accomplished in his years of public service were the deeds of an impractical dreamer- then we can certainly use more of them.

"American Dreamer: A Life of Henry Wallace" is a classic that is helpful in understanding an alternate political universe in which government could be harnessed to serve people struggling to survive.

John C. Culver and John Hyde examine someone who was a giant figure in his time but is little-remembered today: Henry Wallace, a man who plausibly could have become president. The book is a reminder of a time when agriculture was a much larger part of the U.S. economy and was seen as innovative for how it harnessed data to help farmers and make market decisions.

Culver and Hyde are sympathetic to their title character, but they also expose his flaws: the "guru letters" that were as weird in their times as they are today. The surprising lack of discipline in a mind so science-based. The flirtation with communism and the unsavory characters that accompanied. But the book still shows Wallace as a noble, even heroic, figure, as he pursued a vision that would have created a different future, one that may have been better, possibly been worse, but certainly an alternative approach to what America would become. Highly recommended read.

If, like many of us, you are dispirited by most present day politicians, read "American Dreamer" and realize that it is possible to hold on to your ideals and still achieve something in US politics. Henry Wallace must have been one of the most intelligent men to serve our country. It is sobering to think he most likely would never be confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture today, and certainly would never be considered an appropriate choice for Vice President. Imagine, someone who actually thinks for himself in high office! Of course, idealism has its drawbacks, and certainly Henry Wallace was blind to some of the less savory aspects of his more leftist supporters. Thus, although I would have liked to have known Henry Wallace, I certainly am glad he was not the Vice President on April 12, 1945.

This is an extremely well written book. Th most amazing thing about it is that is corrects some of the conventional wisdom about Henry Wallace that more "popular" historians of this era like Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough use without questioning.

A remarkable book about a remarkable man.

A biography of one politician written by another could have been a nightmare this fall, but this one is a dream. Culver and Hyde have done a masterful job of telling a great story about someone who has been overshadowed by the giants of the era--Roosevelt, Truman, Stimson, George Marshall, etc.--but who certainly was one of the great minds of his generation. Henry A. Wallace was not only a cabinet member and vice president, he was a journalist, scientist, philosopher and theoretician. Culver and Hyde have captured all the aspects of his public life in an interesting, readable style. This may be more than you thought you ever wanted to know about Henry A. Wallace, but it's worth the time to learn about this fascinating man and his times.