Review
“The author . . . writes concisely and clearly . . . [and] is at his best relating Roosevelt’s civil service battles to the events of his life, and especially good at describing his ongoing feud with Samuel Wanamaker, the Philadelphia magnate who served as Harrison’s Postmaster General.”—ForeWord
“[White] surveys the ways in which Roosevelt developed his friendships, made progress in civil service reform, constructed the merit system, and continued his reform efforts as president.”—Public Administration Review
“Richard D. White Jr.’s . . . monograph about Theodore Roosevelt’s six years as civil service commissioner is the best study of its kind. . . . White offers significant details about TR’s objection to the firing of black women in the Treasury, War, and Interior departments. He also provides fresh research about TR’s opposition to segregation and discrimination in the federal government. . . . White’s book fills an important gap in the Roosevelt literature.”-- The Journal of American History
