Book Review: Benjamin Harrison by Elisabeth Myers
Reading Benjamin Harrison, a concise (157 page) biography published in 1969 by Elisabeth Myers, I was reminded of the time I visited Benjamin Harrison's home in Indianapolis in 2010. The volunteer staff there absolutely loved the guy and told me that they would vote for him today if they could. Author Elisabeth Myers is cut from the same cloth. She writes a glowing summary of the life of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States that makes one wonder why the second President Harrison doesn't have his face on Mount Rushmore.
Despite Harrison's relatively low ranking among presidents and his historical caricature as "the human iceberg", Myers summarizes Harrison's life and presidency and concludes that history will vindicate him as one of the best presidents, certainly one of the most honest. This isn't to say that Benjamin Harrison wasn't a man of impeccable integrity or that there isn't much good to say about him. He was almost certainly a man of strong principles, great courage and someone for whom personal popularity was a minor consideration. Amidst the author's fawning enamor for her subject (who she refers to as "Ben" many times), this book covers every interesting aspect of Harrison's life, from his pedigree as the grandson of a president and war hero, to his legal career and his own service in the civil war. The summary of Harrison's presidency is abbreviated into about 40 pages of the book. While the author touches on all of the major issues of Harrison's term in office (tariffs, bimetallism, civil service reform, anti-trust legislation, civil rights and central and south American relations), she paints a picture of Harrison accumulating a string of successes in James K. Polk fashion. It is an incomplete recounting of the Harrison administration that leaves the mistaken impression that Harrison was a near-perfect president, making it an imperfect history. The book leaves out much about Harrison's struggles with an uncooperative congress, disinterested in civil rights. It also gives only a very faint picture of the complicated relationship between Harrison and his secretary of state James G. Blaine. It also tells little about the fascinating world of golden age politics.
On the positive side, the author covers all the major events of the life of her subject, supplementing her account with quotes from some of the Harrison's most eloquent speeches. The man was a skilled lawyer and could be a persuasive advocate. This book remembers the best and most noble elements of Harrison's life, even if parts of it deserve more detail. The major failing of the book is that the author pays complete homage to her subject, at the price of any objective analysis of Harrison's presidency. It is more of a tribute than a historical biography. But it's not a bad way to kill a three hour plane ride.
Despite Harrison's relatively low ranking among presidents and his historical caricature as "the human iceberg", Myers summarizes Harrison's life and presidency and concludes that history will vindicate him as one of the best presidents, certainly one of the most honest. This isn't to say that Benjamin Harrison wasn't a man of impeccable integrity or that there isn't much good to say about him. He was almost certainly a man of strong principles, great courage and someone for whom personal popularity was a minor consideration. Amidst the author's fawning enamor for her subject (who she refers to as "Ben" many times), this book covers every interesting aspect of Harrison's life, from his pedigree as the grandson of a president and war hero, to his legal career and his own service in the civil war. The summary of Harrison's presidency is abbreviated into about 40 pages of the book. While the author touches on all of the major issues of Harrison's term in office (tariffs, bimetallism, civil service reform, anti-trust legislation, civil rights and central and south American relations), she paints a picture of Harrison accumulating a string of successes in James K. Polk fashion. It is an incomplete recounting of the Harrison administration that leaves the mistaken impression that Harrison was a near-perfect president, making it an imperfect history. The book leaves out much about Harrison's struggles with an uncooperative congress, disinterested in civil rights. It also gives only a very faint picture of the complicated relationship between Harrison and his secretary of state James G. Blaine. It also tells little about the fascinating world of golden age politics.
On the positive side, the author covers all the major events of the life of her subject, supplementing her account with quotes from some of the Harrison's most eloquent speeches. The man was a skilled lawyer and could be a persuasive advocate. This book remembers the best and most noble elements of Harrison's life, even if parts of it deserve more detail. The major failing of the book is that the author pays complete homage to her subject, at the price of any objective analysis of Harrison's presidency. It is more of a tribute than a historical biography. But it's not a bad way to kill a three hour plane ride.