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FDR's Shadow: Louis Howe, The Force That Shaped Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt

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One of the great advantages of the Vine program is that one is, at times, encouraged to become aware of most excellent writers and important bits of history. This is one of those times. Julie M. Fenster is one of those writers and this is one of those books. Louis Howe surely had a tremendous influence on American history as he more than any other Democrat, even Roosevelt himself, was responsible for FDR's election to the presidency and Eleanor Roosevelt's political, public blossoming. But the scope of this book is broader than just Howe's biography. Julie Fenster paints a marvelous picture of the New York political world in the early part of the twentieth century and illuminates Roosevelt's life during those times. A great read.

"FDR's Shadow" tells the unusual story of the relationship between FDR and Louis Howe and their families. Louis Howe was one of those cheer leaders, sounding boards, a general right hand men needed by any highly successful politician. Howe grew up as the asthmatic son of an upstate New York Democratic newspaper editor who gave Louis an introduction to his vocation, journalism, and his passion, politics. It was on his beat of reporting on the New York legislature that Howe met then State Senator Franklin D. Roosevelt. They established a working relationship which continued when Roosevelt took Howe to Washington upon Roosevelt's assumption of the position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In FDR's 1920 campaign for vice-president it was Howe who had to keep the candidate focused on his audience and his goals. It was during this campaign that Howe began mentoring Eleanor Roosevelt as she emerged from her cocoon and blossomed into a campaign partner and a leader among Democratic women.

Howe's role in the Roosevelt household transformed in 1921when Franklin was stricken with polio. Eleanor sent for Howe who immediately left Washington for Campobello. From this day forward, Howe would be a part of the Roosevelt household and an occasional visitor to his own.

In what today would be called crisis management, Howe assumed direction of the medical treatment, access to the cottage and, eventually, FDR's transportation back to New York. In the years that followed it was Howe who kept Franklin and Eleanor focused on his rehabilitation and return to the world of politics. Howe's total dedication to FDR was illustrated by the time spent with Franklin making and racing model boats, while excluding their own sons from this pass time. It was Howe who kept the dream of the White House alive.

Throughout the twenties, a peculiar triangle developed between Eleanor, Franklin and Louis. Eleanor and Franklin would never vacation together nor could they share their confidences as they journeyed into an uncharted world. They each found their confidant in Louis, who found his family in Eleanor and Franklin, even as he distanced himself from his own family.

In the chapters of this book, the reader follows FDR as he returned to public life with his highly acclaimed nomination of Al Smith for President in 1924, his narrow election as governor of New York in 1928 and the careful staking of the White House, culminating in Roosevelt's election in 1932. The stories continued until Howe's death on April 18, 1936.

Despite all that I have written, this book is primarily about the life and career of Franklin D. Roosevelt and, secondarily, about Eleanor. I have studied extensively about FDR but I still learned much about him and Eleanor from this book. It draws the reader's attention to Eleanor's development into a political force in her own right. After reading this book I suspect that, had she been First Lady fifty years later, Eleanor, not Hillary, would have been the first First Lady to make a serious run at the White House in her own name. Any book about a much covered life, such as FDR's, has to offer something new to justify its publication. This book passes that test. While introducing, or reacquainting the reader with the anecdotes of Franklin's life, it brings out details which are overlooked in other books. What makes this book special is its description of the role of the catalyst that made the elements of the Roosevelt world react as they did. It will help any reader achieve a deeper understanding of the unique Roosevelt team.

Very few if any biographies of Franklin Roosevelt fail to mention his friend and supporter Louis Howe. Howe was also responsible; in part, for the emergence of Eleanor Roosevelt's emergence as a political presence, allowing her a way to still engage with FDR following his infidelity and betrayal. Although Eleanor was first put off by Howe's bad habits and gnome like appearance, she developed a deep appreciation of his fidelity to both her and Franklin. He encouraged her to find her own voice and to work as an extension of her husband. Louis Howe was not an imposing man, he was of slight build, disheveled, and suffered a myriad of illnesses. His devotion to the Roosevelts was a curiosity and matter of speculation. After meeting FDR in 1911, Howe was convinced that Roosevelt was presidential material and he began to guide FDR's political career. Under Howe's guidance, FDR turned towards the working class (this branding him a traitor to his class} and often was a trusted sounding board for both the Roosevelts. Julie Fenster's FDR's Shadow is a thoroughly researched look into a man once referred to as "most private' of the President's private secretaries". A well researched look into one of the greatest political "king makers".

I waited months to purchase Julie M. Fenster's new book, FDR's Shadow: Louis Howe, the Force that Shaped Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Howe was nicknamed "the kingmaker" for setting the path for Franklin Roosevelt to become president. Unfortunately, although this book is beautifully written, it is very incomplete

Louis Howe started out as a newspaperman, and eventually became FDR's political advisor, confidant, best friend, and even what would today be his chief of staff. Many could not see Howe's genius and instead, focused on his looks (he was a small, wizened, gnome-like, unhealthy specimen of a man who dribbled cigarette ashes all over himself). But early on, Howe saw something in FDR and started addressing him as "Beloved and Revered Future President." Howe set a road-map for FDR's accession, and cultivated friends and worked deals. When this road was threatened by FDR's polio in 1921, Howe had to fight Sara Roosevelt (FDR's mother) to get him back into politics. From this time onward, Howe pretty much lived with the Roosevelts and never returned to his family. FDR would have never gotten the nomination for president at the Democratic Convention in 1932 without Howe making back-room deals. "A typical impression of Howe was that he was veritably smitten with Franklin Roosevelt and wanted nothing more than to live, homely as he was, through the handsome aristocrat with the friendly charm. That version of their relationship, though, smacks of a fairy tale and overlooks the fact that Howe had a vision for American society. Had the Roosevelts not shared that vision...Howe would not necessarily have followed them."

Howe was first FDR's friend. But when FDR contracted polio, he and Eleanor became a team. He encouraged her to join political groups, coached her in public speaking, and turned her into a confident political figure in her own right. Howe claimed that once FDR completed two terms of office, he could then get Eleanor elected for another two terms. "The idea of a grown man with a family of his own impressing himself in a marriage of two other people was unusual and practically unprecedented. Part of the reason that it worked is that Franklin and Eleanor needed Louis equally."

Once FDR became president, Howe was installed in the Lincoln Bedroom. But his fragile health became worse and he died in 1936. His death was a blow to both Eleanor and Franklin. Not only did they lose the bridge between them, but FDR made some major blunders (like trying to stack the Supreme Court) that Howe would probably have prevented.

Shadow is beautifully written and we get to see the conflicting emotions of Howe. After giving up so much, he often felt underappreciated. The recent unveiling of the Louis Howe papers in the FDR Library gives us a look into the sad relationship between Howe and his wife, Grace. But there is so much that Fenster neglected to tell us about Howe. Next to Howe, FDR was probably closest to secretary Missy LeHand. Yet there is virtually nothing about how Howe and LeHand interacted. Howe had a secretary, Margaret Durand, nicknamed Rabbit by FDR. She gave her life to Howe just as Howe gave his to FDR. Yet she merits only one fleeting mention. Other tidbits would have helped to flesh-out Howe, including more information about him singing in a DC church and his play writing and performances. There is very little after FDR is elected president. Eleanor used to shop for Howe and after he died, she would send flowers to Grace Howe on certain anniversaries. There is hardly anything about his kids. Also, what happened to them after he died? Also, it would have been interesting if Fenster included that FDR appointed Grace Hartley to the job of post master (the first for a woman) after Howe's death.

It is regrettable that this book was way too short and lacking so much information about Howe and his life. FDR's Shadow had the potential to be so much more.

The author made extensive use of sources, especially newly opened files of Louis Howe; end-notes and the index take up almost a quarter of the book's less than 300 pages.

A basic problem confronts any one writing about Louis Howe. He wouldn't be worthy of much attention were it not for Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. His relationship to them IS the significant fact of his life so covering Howe's story, making sense of it, necessitates covering the Roosevelts' lives as well.

At some point Ms. Fenster must have decided she was not going to do a long book, and this is the result.

While I was reading I found the book satisfying because the author writes smoothly. One gets a succinct overview of Franklin's career and a briefer overview of Eleanor's life. The hither and yon flow of Howe's "career" is made clear. It would seem that the private letters of Howe were made good use of since we get glimpses of what's going on in Howe's head.

The narrative flows smoothly. Then it's 1932 and Franklin is elected, the long held dream of Howe's has come true. A few pages later its 1936, Howe dies and the book ends!?!

Surely, there was something more to offer readers about the relationship between Howe and the Roosevelts from January 1933 to April 1936. Why did Howe live in the White House if he was not a necessary part of the beginning of the Roosevelt era? Eleanor has a huge adjustment (she says at first that she won't live in the WH); the author throws off a short anecdote to apparently show Howe setting her on course.

Finally, there is the (non) portrayal of Grace Howe. She was either moving all the time in order to share a home with her husband as he switched jobs and lived in various places in upper state New York or Massachusetts. At other times she was living with her mother. We learn that Howe was often lonely and discouraged and grew suspicious of Grace's fidelity. We learn nothing of how Grace reacted to his always choosing to meet the needs of the Roosevelts rather than those of his own family.

All in all this book makes a spectacular extended outline of what a thorough examination of Howe and the Roosevelts could look like.

I respectfully disagree with those who have blurbed this book as being "brilliant" or "superb." Well-researched it is, but it never comes to life. One of the problems is that Louis Howe was not an especially colorful character. Indeed, he was much more quirky than colorful. The story of his being the eminence gris behind FDR is, also, not new. It is just fleshed out here to a greater extent than it has been in books that have chronicled FDR. But there's a reason for that: the story, while interesting, is fairly thin. A misfit of a man with limited good ideas for himself hitches his star to an incandescent other. He has the vision (which actually may be no more than dogged devotion reinterpreted) to persevere after Roosevelt is felled by polio, and to propel him to being revenant as a political force. Meanwhile, he, Howe, since he doesn't really have a life, becomes indispensable to FDR and his family, importantly befriending Eleanor and even, eventually, bringing the redoubtable Sara Delano Roosevelt into his fan club.

So, this is a story that has been told before, as a sidebar in many other books, but is now excavated in an attempt to give it life as a stand-alone tale. To me, it is fairly thin gruel.

What is more, Fenster is not a gifted writer, at least not as demonstrated in this book. She writes well enough in a connect-the-dots way, but she has a propensity for anachronisms like "the media" for "the press," and for infelicitous usage: verbs like "reach out" and "opt."

If you're especially interested in the relationship between Howe and Roosevelt, this is a good primer. But if you're interested in a good read, try one of the many fine biographies of FDR, from Friedel to Schlesinger and James M. Burns, to Geoffrey Ward.

To sum up the last four (yes --- four) pages of this very small book:

In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt secured the Democratic Party's nomination for President of the United States (oh --- by the way, he won the election).

In 1936, Louis Howe died.

The End.

Huh?!? That's it?!? This was my reaction when I finished this book. I don't get it. 30-plus pages covering Howe's youth and early adult years, and then a race to the finish, once things really start to get interesting. I fail to see the point of this book. Howe helped Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt redefine the roles within their marriage (after the marriage was permanently altered by FDR's affair, and then polio), and this all was pretty interesting as far as it goes, but good grief --- that in and of itself is not enough to carry a whole book. There wasn't much discussion about Louis Howe, the political advisor. What did he do during the 1932 campaign? For that matter, what was Howe doing during FDR's two gubernatorial campaigns in 1928 and 1930? Don't expect answers in this book. Expect passages such as "Starting in 1930...Howe began to work more feverishly than ever, building a pathway for the 1932 presidential campaign." (p. 206) What did he do to build this pathway? Your guess is as good as mine.

All in all, a really disappointing book about a subject which deserves a more thorough treatment.

FDR's Shadow was Louis Howe, whose life was not terribly, or rather was marginally, successful, until fate brought he and FDR together, at first with mild brushes, and later, with Howe seeing the potential in an FDR Presidency, even when FDR was taking some NY State ups and downs and sometimes enduring a few political bludgeoning's.

Reading the early history of Howe one begins to wonder how this man seemingly wretched in many ways, came to be a man of such incredible insight, foresight and ingenuity. But I have seen this type of growth before and probably so have you. That Howe saw even in the paralyzed and near helpless FDR during the polio attack, a man of destiny is remarkable to say the least. That Howe sacrificed the greatest career offer of his life to move into the Roosevelt home and help nurse FDR to back to health and eventually to a presidency, was phenomenally, prophetic.

Howe was a hanger on in his marriage, and on his career and not particularly interested in wealth or success, to the point where he often rolled in poverty. His wife, and apparently one-sided true love, Grace, did not seem to share his romantic and marital intensity, or his seemingly casual view of career import. How he became, or rather blossomed into the brilliant, indomitable and enlightened choreographer of the Greatest president America has had since the era of the Founding Father's, Ms. Fenster lays out with precise and unbiased alacrity.

The Book, FDR's Shadow, follows Howe, as his early career crisscrossed Roosevelt's path over a period of years until they hooked up. After reading two tomes, (1900 pages) on FDR, FDR, and Traitor To His Class, and several smaller volumes, in the last several months, including; Roosevelt's Secret War, as well as Roosevelt and Lucy, I had what I thought was a well rounded portrait of the man, but FDR's Shadow, rounds out the picture of Howe with a more satisfactory finish. I had wondered about his long absences from his wife and children and what I found was a flawed marriage, in which loyalty and romance seemed one-sided, flowing from Howe to his wife and apparently seldom returned.

Julie M. Fenster's research is impeccably presented and displays a well-rounded and comprehensive biography, which even gives glimpses of the Roosevelt my family, had come to know and love, so well.

One reviewer called Howe FDR's Karl Rove, hardly true, there was not a speck of Machiavellian or murderous evil in Howe, though he was probably brighter than Rove, he also had something Rove lacked, a conscience.

The writing beginning in the generations before Louis Howe and skating amid the bumps and disappointments of Howe's loveless love life and his poor earning record, to his finding his place in the world and his masterful direction of FDR's political career and life, including overcoming of Eleanor's distrust and dislike of him and his turning down career altering wealth in order to help nurse FDR back to health from the disease I shared with FDR, Paralytic Poliomyelitis. In my case the paralysis passed after two years and I returned to health, FDR was no so fortunate which made his 32 years of excelling while so burdened, nothing short of a testament to the man and his family.

Howe apparently saw in FDR from the beginning, what most of us saw after the fact. Nevertheless, his prophetic assessment of FDR matched FDR's own, when he commented as very young man that the path to the presidency for him as for his Uncle Teddy, was undeniably, from state Senator, to Governor of NY, to Assistant Secretary of The Navy, to the White House and he did just that with the incredible help of Louis Howe.

Fenster draws from a man small and unlettered, and lacking a professional portfolio, budding genius and the main man behind the greatest hero of modern times.

Fenster weaves her way and and us as well, with no punches pulled, through the mire of Howe's personal life, along with FDR's and Eleanor's and brings us to a strong understanding of the man many believe to have been a Godsend to the poor and middle classes. In fact, they believe that Roosevelt invented and sustained the middle classes until G W Bush in the greatest Highway robbery of all time, drained the Treasury into the pockets of Fascists, and thereby mostly wiped out the middle classes and the concept of "retirement," perhaps, forever.

This is a small book and a rather brief read, however, if you are an FDR fan, or simply a history buff, when the book becomes available, buy it, or place a reservation for it now. I think you will enjoy it if you share any of the views apparent in this writing.

For what the too-short FDR's Shadow does include, it is an excellent work, fascinating and filled with interesting tidbits, personalities, revelations and facts, and deserving of its high ranking. My evaluation overall is more for what FDR's Shadow actually is, rather than for what it might have been. In the end it is a terrific volume.

Considering the sheaves of material left behind by Howe and others and available for inspection, this condensed-feeling book leaves the very interested reader eager for far more. The last few pages give the impression that the author was under pressure to wind it up quickly, as earlier chapters delight the reader with their much greater detail and disclosure. We learn that Howe lived in the White House and his wife Grace had an extended stay there, yet there are no details at all about this.

Louis Howe fades out dimly at the end of FDR's Shadow, when the particulars of his last days on earth seem to be in order, if indeed they are known. Were his wife or children, or Eleanor Roosevelt or her children even present at the hospital? The Acknowledgements state the author had access to some fascinating materials that makes one feel more should have made their way into the book. Hints in other published and broadcast Roosevelt biographies tell us there is yet much more to be told about this man's story, and I would prefer it be Julie Fenster doing the telling in an expanded version.

People enjoy reading about Franklin and Eleanor not only because of their important impact on America, but because of the sometimes mysterious and confusing nature of their relationships with each other and others in their lives.

In this well researched and well written book about Louis Howe, FDR's principal campaign advisor and political strategist, you get a sense of the political battles that eventually led to FDR's presidency. You also learn about Howe encouraged Eleanor to shed her role as a good and dutiful wife to take on the political activism that brought great meaning to her life.

Howe was not only a political operative, he was an intimate member of the Roosevelt household. After Franklin contracted polio, Howe rushed to his side and helped Eleanor with the nursing. When Franklin was finally able to move back to NYC, Howe moved in with the family to help. He emphasized the importance of keeping Franklin mentally active, and brought interesting visitors to keep Franklin engaged with the world.

Howe also served as a bridge between Eleanor and Franklin as their lives went in different directions in the 1920's.

Heartily recommend this book which helps you understand another aspect of the complex puzzle of Franklin and Eleanor. It is a relatively brief book (about 200 pages) which seems an appropriate size for the topic.