Green Republican: John Saylor and the Preservation of America's Wilderness (Hardcover)

by Thomas G. Smith (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Smith's book, the only in-depth study of Saylor, fills a noticeable gap in the histriography of the modern environmental movement. The breadth of Smith's research on Saylor is impressive." --Western Historical Quarterly

“Representative John Saylor was one of the driving forces behind critical environmental legislation in post-World War II America. This absorbing biography probes Saylor's shrewd, sometimes blunt, maneuvers to defend wild places and enact legal protection for some of our most treasured landscapes, from the Allegheny Mountains to the Grand Canyon. With this compelling biography, Thomas G. Smith restores John Saylor to his rightful place in the annals of American environmental history.” --Char Miller, Trinity University

"This book . . . holds lessons for today. . . [and] will not let Saylor and his accomplishments fade without the credit they deserve." --The Journal of American History

Product Description
Thomas G. Smith assembles the remarkable story of Republican John Saylor, arguably the leading congressional conservationist of the twentieth century, and a major force in the preservation of America's wilderness.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press; 1 edition (June 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822942836
• ISBN-13: 978-0822942832
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,589,596 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He was ahead of his time, August 24, 2006

By	George Alderson (Catonsville, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This biography digs deep into the early environmental campaigns between 1954 and 1973, when John P. Saylor (Republican of Pennsylvania) was a bold, unquenchable advocate for the environment in the United States Congress. He was out front on all the big ones: Dinosaur National Monument, the Wilderness Act, the Grand Canyon Dams, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, Redwoods National Park, Alaska national parks. I first met Mr. Saylor in 1965 when I was a beginning volunteer activist, playing a minor role in the campaign to defeat two proposed Grand Canyon dams. The author uses archival sources to take us behind the scenes in Congress and tell parts of the story I never knew. (I knew the dam proponents didn't have the votes, but there's a lot more to it, and Professor Smith dug it up.)

While the importance of coal mining in his district may have helped kindle John Saylor's opposition to hydroelectric dams in the 1950s, it doesn't explain his consistent, tireless leadership in saving wild places over the 20 years that followed. From seeing him in action day after day on Capitol Hill, I know he believed in wilderness and loved fighting for it. Professor Smith's book captures John Saylor's passion, his brilliance and his wit.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Conservation Congressman, August 8, 2006

By	doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

In an era when conservative Republicans display outright hostility to environmentalism, and even Democrats at the national level are getting very little real environmental work done, it is surprising and heartening to learn about the great conservationist achievements and leadership of Republican congressman John Saylor. This generally straight-arrow Republican served a Western Pennsylvania district from 1949 to 1973 and had an immense impact on environmental protection across America. Saylor had a fierce and sincere lifetime love of the outdoors, and advanced a currently rare view of the natural environment as crucial to America's development and the culture of independence. In fact, this was a philosophy of "stewardship" that was descended from the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, and even Sierra Club founder John Muir. While remaining typically conservative on other legislative matters, Saylor's work was indispensable in the passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964, which has resulted in the protection of more than a hundred million acres of untrammeled wilderness across the country. He was also a crucial player in the defeat of dam proposals in the Grand Canyon and Dinosaur National Monument, had a hand in the creation of several national parks, helped pass the National Scenic Trails Act, and was an important supporter of clean air and water legislation.

This authoritative biography by Thomas G. Smith mostly operates as a political history of all the conservation-oriented legislation in which Saylor was involved during his long Congressional career. Smith's intensive coverage of intricate legislative maneuvers makes the book tedious at times, though it is completely successful as a political biography, because Smith dispenses with any partisan judgments or complaints about modern Republicanism. Smith is not afraid to point out some of Saylor's flaws, especially his very stubborn and sometimes vindictive political style. Of special note is Smith's general view that Saylor's fierce opposition to large Western dam projects did not necessarily come from sincere environmentalism, but were actually attempts to block competition (in the form of publicly-subsidized power) for the coal companies back in Pennsylvania. Saylor's Republican views in non-environmental areas sometimes reached comical conservative Cold War paranoia, but for conservation he was immensely influential and achieved consistent bipartisan success. Without Saylor's 24 years of service for America's natural environment, we'd be living in a land much less beautiful and enjoyable. [~doomsdayer520~]

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ahead of his time, August 27, 2008

By	Mr. Phillips J. Saylor (Johnstown, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Outstanding biography of the preemminent conservationist of the 20th century. John P. Saylor was ahead of his time in his successful fight to preserve America's national parks, wilderness and wild rivers. He was a statesman and a great American, not just because he was my Dad.