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Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America Hardcover – April 9, 2019

by Jared Cohen (Author)

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The strength and prestige of the American presidency has waxed and waned since George Washington. Accidental Presidents looks at eight men who came to the office without being elected to it. It demonstrates how the character of the man in that powerful seat affects the nation and world.

Eight men have succeeded to the presidency when the incumbent died in office. In one way or another they vastly changed our history. Only Theodore Roosevelt would have been elected in his own right. Only TR, Truman, Coolidge, and LBJ were re-elected.

John Tyler succeeded William Henry Harrison who died 30 days into his term. He was kicked out of his party and became the first president threatened with impeachment. Millard Fillmore succeeded esteemed General Zachary Taylor. He immediately sacked the entire cabinet and delayed an inevitable Civil War by standing with Henry Clay’s compromise of 1850. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded our greatest president, sided with remnants of the Confederacy in Reconstruction. Chester Arthur, the embodiment of the spoils system, was so reviled as James Garfield’s successor that he had to defend himself against plotting Garfield’s assassination; but he reformed the civil service. Theodore Roosevelt broke up the trusts. Calvin Coolidge silently cooled down the Harding scandals and preserved the White House for the Republican Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression. Truman surprised everybody when he succeeded the great FDR and proved an able and accomplished president. Lyndon B. Johnson was named to deliver Texas electorally. He led the nation forward on Civil Rights but failed on Vietnam.

Accidental Presidents adds immeasurably to our understanding of the power and limits of the American presidency in critical times.

Print length

528 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster
Publication date

April 9, 2019
Dimensions

6 x 1.7 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1501109820
ISBN-13

978-1501109829
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“What a delightful book and brilliant concept! Jared Cohen treats us to some of the most colorful and momentous episodes in our history when we unexpectedly got a new president. He reveals the historic importance of some lesser-known leaders, such as John Tyler and Millard Fillmore, and highlights the greatness of Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson. Through their fascinating tales we learn why America is such a resilient nation and our Constitution a living document—lessons very powerful for today.”—Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci

“Fascinating, compelling and often alarming. With astonishing story after story, Jared Cohen chronicles the whole pageant of the unsteady, the unready and the unexpectedly capable. Nearly ten percent of our presidents succeeded because of the deaths of those who chose them mostly out of political expediency to be forgotten number twos. Will we luck out in the future with a surprising Harry Truman or with a wrecker like Andrew Johnson? In God we trust. But read Jared Cohen.” —Sidney Blumenthal, author of A Self-Made Man and Wrestling with His Angels

“Thanks to Jared Cohen. The stories of eight accidental presidents are now all in one grand place. Cohen deserves a medal for performing this public service.” —Patricia O’Toole, author of The Moralist: Woodrow Wilson and the World He Made

“History is the most contingent of enterprises, and little has proven more contingent than the nature of the American presidency. In this eloquent and often surprising book, Jared Cohen explores how fate has shaped the office--and all of us. In an age marked by widespread concerns about the character of the person who reaches the pinnacle (by whatever means), Cohen's study is illuminating and resonant.”"—Jon Meacham, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels

"This is a fascinating prism through which to look at American history ... It is a well written fast-paced book that is filled with interesting facts and insights. Anyone who is interested in American history will delight in it." —Fareed Zakaria, CNN

"A deep dive into the terms of eight former presidents is chock-full of political hijinks—and déjà vu ... chapters flick at familiar themes: trust busting, scandal wrangling, and brawls that read like highbrow TMZ ... The book is also a reminder that, when it came to succession, America’s founders basically winged it." —Vanity Fair

“One of the many insights to be found in Accidental Presidents is that history unfolds in death as well as in life.”—The Wall Street Journal

"Pleasant reading for politics junkies, especially those keen on reading the political winds."—Kirkus Reviews

“Illuminating…[a] genuinely interesting history on a topic that has never been addressed in this depth.”—Booklist

Colorful…clear and engaging…confidently told.”—Publishers Weekly

“Accidental Presidents is a compelling and comprehensive book of history that shines a light on unexplored corners of our history ... In his typically engaging and gripping style, Jared Cohen tells us why it is not easy to amend the Constitution and why it should be amended. He explores the complexities of the American Constitution and politics as a gifted story-teller ... It will resonate for a long time to come among the scholars and students of American history."—Washington Review of Books

“While much is known about the two successful accidentals, Roosevelt and Truman, and the partially-successful Lyndon, the latter Johnson, much of the book’s treasure lies in earlier, lesser known accidentals.”—New York Journal of Books

"Every single sentence in this books counts."—Fox News

About the Author

Jared Cohen is the president of global affairs and cohead of applied innovation at Goldman Sachs, where he joined as a partner and member of the firm’s management committee in 2022. Before joining Goldman Sachs, he was CEO of Jigsaw, which he founded at Alphabet Inc. in 2016. Prior to that, he was Google’s first director of Ideas and chief advisor to Google’s chief executive officer and executive chairman Eric Schmidt. From 2006 to 2010, he served as a member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning staff and as a close advisor to both Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. He is a New York Times bestselling author of five books, most recently Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America. He has been named to the “TIME 100” list, Foreign Policy’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers,” and Fortune’s “40 Under 40.” He lives in New York City with his wife and three daughters.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (April 9, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 528 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1501109820
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501109829
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.05 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.7 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #300,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #59 in U.S.Congresses, Senates & Legislative
- #374 in United States Executive Government
- #8,076 in United States History (Books)

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4.6 1,049 ratings

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Jared Cohen

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Jared Cohen is the founder and CEO of Jigsaw at Alphabet Inc. He also serves as an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to Alphabet, he was Google’s first Director of Ideas and chief advisor to Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt. From 2006 to 2010 he served as a member of the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff and as a close advisor to both Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton.

Cohen is the New York Times bestselling author of four books, including Children of Jihad, One Hundred Days of Silence: America and the Rwanda Genocide, and The New Digital Age: Transforming Nations, Business, and our Lives, which he co-authored with Eric Schmidt. His new book, The Accidental Presidents, examines the eight instances in American history when a president has died in office. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, LA Times, Washington Post, TIME Magazine, and Foreign Policy.

He has been named to the "TIME 100" list, Foreign Policy's “Top 100 Global Thinkers,” and Vanity Fair's "Next Establishment." Cohen serves on several advisory boards, including Allianz, Stanford University’s Freeman-Spogli Institute, Rivet Ventures, FluidMarket, ASAPP, and NCTC. he is a member of GenNext and a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum.

Cohen received his B.A. from Stanford University and his M.Phil in International Relations from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He speaks fluent Swahili.

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Martha coons

Excellent coverage of the accidental presidents.

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2023

Verified Purchase

Good historical research.

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Avid Amazon Shopper

Interesting book in excellent condition

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2023

Verified Purchase

This is an interesting book and an easy read. Bought the used version at a substantial savings and it arrived early and in like new condition. Very satisfied with this transaction.

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2023

Verified Purchase

I read quite a bit due to flying a lot due to work and I am always trying to find good books on history. This book exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed reading it immensely.

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

An assuredly not so small group exists that devour anything written about presidents. I belong to that group as does Jared Cohen, author of the recent book, "Accidental Presidents". The book concerns not only the eight presidents who died in office, but more importantly, it is about the eight men who succeeded them. It's informative and it gave me some new insights into some little pockets of history.

Starting with the death of William Henry Harrison in 1841, Cohen introduces us to John Tyler, who had to fight off his label as "acting" president. He reminds us that there were some really bed apples along the way, most notably Andrew Johnson, but a couple of good ones, too...Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Some chapters are far better than others. One doesn't think too much about Chester Arthur's ascension, although he turned out surprisingly well, but there is barely an honorable mention about about Millard Fillmore. A mere eight or nine pages of prose about Fillmore left me wanting more. And I'm not sure I quite agree with Cohen's offerings of savvy astuteness on the part of Calvin Coolidge following the death of President Harding.

However, his chapter on Truman shines. It's the best in the book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the correspondence between Truman and Elanor Roosevelt after Truman had been sworn in. Harry must have had a few choice Missouri words upon receipt of such letters where Eleanore offered direct and indirect advice about decisions that should be made in the Oval Office.

I was disappointed that the author didn't include a separate chapter on Gerald Ford. Yes, he does mention him in detail, but I disagree with his assumption that Ford's rise was a "vastly different scenario." Yes, his case is special in that Nixon didn't die, but Ford really didn't know he would become president until a couple of weeks before Nixon resigned, so his "preparation" was, in a large sense, no greater than that of Chester Arthur.

Jared Cohen ends "Accidental Presidents" with a note on how he became interested in presidents. It's a short, wonderful account and as a baby boomer myself, I can attest to my initial interests in the presidents when JFK ran against Nixon in 1960. I applaud the author's book and recommend it to anyone who has a particular interest in presidential succession.

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muppetlvr

Fascinating read

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023

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Very good book, well written to keep your attention and draw you in. Recommend this book.

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Retired guy

Extremely interesting book!

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2019

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Wow! The things I never knew about these 8 guys who became our president! Knowing history is important and I thought i knew a little about the lives and performance of duty of most of our former presidents. Oh the things I did not know! To tell the truth, after reading this book, I am not as worried about our problems and our country's survival today as I might have been before reading it. The cronyism, the lack of concern for the welfare of our country, the perception of the unimportance of the Vice President's job and status, how little the VP was brought in on the affairs of state, and so many other historical factors that were revealed in this book. I really enjoyed reading it and greatly appreciate the tremendous amount of research that Jared Cohen conducted to get the facts he presented!

One person found this helpful

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Ann C.

Stepping back in history

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2022

Verified Purchase

Not only do you learn about the different VPs that became presidents, you learn the history of what is happening at the time. It was a very interesting read and well written. It wasn't dry by any means and kept my interest throughout.

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J. Will

Time to chill, reviewers

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2019

Verified Purchase

Gee,
The book's detractors make a huge thing about the book's error in citing Lincoln as a senator. I have to admit I didn't catch the error but so what? Even when you order a steak medium rare, you are going to get some bites that are well done. What I did appreciate was the author's attempts to relate information that, while recorded somewhere, is not all that well known; e.g., slaves living and working in the White House; Arthur's quest to be a Vice President and nothing more; the near miss assassination of FDR in Miami. If something big happens in DC in the next few months, sales of this author's effort may well escalate.

3 people found this helpful

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Mel Ayton

First-Class Presidential History

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2022

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Jacob Cohen's accounts of the deaths of eight presidents and the men who succeeded them is superb and brings to life critical events in American history. Cohen's writing style is remarkable, staying clear of burdening the reader with esoteric detail which is often found in books by more well-known presidential historians. This is a book which will stand the test of time - a must for university reading lists as well as the general reader.

Maria Jakubowski

A captivating and enjoyable read

Reviewed in Canada on May 1, 2019

Verified Purchase

From start to finish, Accidental Presidents delivers a highly engaging and well researched account of the eight US Vice Presidents who assumed presidency, due to the death of their predecessors. Not only does this book deliver in presenting each story with page-turning interest, the content provides a remarkably relevant backdrop to our current political climate in 2019. A must read!

One person found this helpful

V R Adduri

good reviews

Reviewed in Canada on November 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

Good book to read and very informative

Richard Warren Smith

about presidents

Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2020

Verified Purchase

A good book.

Yonca Dervisoglu

What they should teach you in school

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2019

Verified Purchase

I wish this book had existed when I was going to school! Great analysis and lessons to draw from history,into the future.

One person found this helpful

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