In this study of Mark Hanna’s career in presidential politics, William T. Horner demonstrates the flaws inherent in the ways the news media cover politics.
William T. Horner is a professor and the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Political Science at the University of Missouri. He is the author of Showdown in the Show-Me State: The Fight over Conceal-and-Carry Gun Laws in Missouri.
“A must-read for anyone interested in Gilded Age politics: this
myth-busting book sets the record straight with sharp,
well-researched prose. Horner shows how Democratic cartoonists
attacked McKinley by depicting Hanna as master and McKinley as
puppet, obscuring McKinley's political skills and ignoring Hanna's
honorable public service.”
“Horner’s biography of Hanna is unquestionably the most thorough
analysis to date. It is fresh, balanced, and the author’s reliance
on personal papers, memoirs, newspapers, and mounds of secondary
literature makes for a compelling argument and a fine study of
Gilded Age politics.”
*West Virginia History: A Journal of Regional Studies*
“William Horner tells this...story in detail, with some shrewd
insights into American politics. The book will appeal to students
of the period, politics, and biography. It should end the
stereotypes of the people involved.”
*The Historian*
“In writing the first modern biography of Mark Hanna, Professor
Horner has provided historians of Gilded Age politics with a useful
survey that complements the earlier work of H. Wayne Morgan and
Lewis L. Gould. In his comparison of Hanna and Karl Rove, the
author suggests that modern journalists should study their history
more carefully.”
*Northwest Ohio History*
“Horner…successfully strives to provide a more balanced portrait of
the man. Hanna was wealthy, and he saw nothing wrong with using his
wealth and the wealth of others who agreed with Republican policies
to support McKinley. However, he was no ravenous capitalist in his
business practices, and he generally took a moderate approach in
dealings with organized labor. Horner illustrates how a
concentrated campaign by segments of the media, even a century ago,
can create a distorted impression which, for many, is easily
mistaken for reality.”
*Booklist*
Ohio's Kingmaker is a well-written and engaging book, and the
central theme—comparing the nearly unknown Hanna to the very
familiar Rove—makes for an effective hook. Scholars will be
deconstructing and critiquing the Bush presidency for years to
come; the author has made a valuable contribution to understanding
an important facet of both the Bush presidency and its century-old
precursor.
*Trinity University*
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