Frank and Al
FDR, Al Smith, and the Unlikely Alliance That Created the Modern Democratic Party
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The inspiring story of an unlikely political partnership that transformed the Democratic Party and led to the New Deal
In Frank and Al, Terry Golway portrays the dramatic untold story of two political giants, Al Smith and Franklin Roosevelt, who formed an unlikely alliance in the early 20th century that transformed the Democratic Party. Smith, a proud son of the Tammany Hall political machine, and Roosevelt, a country squire, bridged the chasm between the party's urban machines and its populists and patricians.
Dominating politics in New York for a quarter-century, Smith and FDR ran against each other for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1932, setting off one of the great feuds in American history. Yet, it was Smith who persuaded a reluctant Roosevelt to run for governor in 1928, setting the stage for FDR's dramatic comeback after contracting polio in 1921. Together, they took their party and American politics out of the 19th century and created a place in civic life for the New America of the 20th century.
Golway delivers a timely narrative on the centennial of Smith's first election as governor, a captivating tale that The Wall Street Journal calls "history told the old-fashioned way" with "vivid" scenes and "plentiful" anecdotes. Frank and Al is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of American politics and the rise of the country's welfare state.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Golway, a senior editor at Politico and a former member of the editorial board of the New York Times, explores the relationship and political alliance between future president Franklin Roosevelt, the upper-class patrician, and powerful New York politician Al Smith, child of the Tammany Hall machine, which he credits with providing the political base that enabled the New Deal. The two men met in 1911, when Roosevelt joined Smith in the New York legislature, and continued crossing paths for the next 30 years, most often as allies but sometimes as bitter competitors both vied for the 1932 Democratic presidential nomination. Golway highlights Roosevelt's support of Smith's first run for governor and 1928 campaign for president (likely lost because of widespread prejudice against Smith's Catholicism). Smith's career is more interesting he served three terms as governor of New York, during which he engineered numerous progressive policies around such issues as worker protections and it provides the opportunity to delve into New York machine politics. Smith is portrayed as rough around the edges, with an eighth-grade education, "workingman's bellow," and loud suits, but also as a likable, admirable politician. The Roosevelt-Smith relationship is a well-chosen prism through which to view the foundational political alliance of the Democratic Party.
