The idea that a Senator—Republican or Democrat—would put the greater good of the country ahead of party seems nearly impossible to imagine in our current climate of gridlock and divisiveness. But this hasn't always been the case. Arthur H. Vandenberg (1884–1951), Republican from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was the model of a consensus builder, and the coalitions he spearheaded continue to form the foundation of American foreign and domestic policy today. Edward R. Murrow called him "the central pivot of the entire era," yet, despite his significance, Vandenberg has never received the full public attention he is due—until now. With this authoritative biography, Hendrik Meijer reveals how Vandenberg built and nurtured the bipartisan consensus that created the American Century.
Originally the editor and publisher of the Grand Rapids Herald, Vandenberg was appointed and later elected to the Senate in 1928, where he became an outspoken opponent of the New Deal and a leader among the isolationists who resisted FDR's efforts to aid European allies at the onset of World War II. But Vandenberg soon recognized the need for unity at the dawn of a new world order; and as a Republican leader, he worked closely with Democratic administrations to build the strong bipartisan consensus that established the Marshall Plan, the United Nations, and NATO. Vandenberg, as Meijer reveals, was instrumental in organizing Congressional support for these monumental twentieth-century foreign policy decisions.
Vandenberg's life and career offer powerful lessons for today, and Meijer has given us a story that suggests an antidote to our current democratic challenges. After reading this poignant biography, many will ask: Where is the Vandenberg of today?
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 16, 2017 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780226433516
- File size: 1890 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780226433516
- File size: 1890 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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September 15, 2017
The executive chairman of superstore chain Meijer, Inc. offers a detailed and admiring biography of Arthur Vandenberg (1884-1951), who played key roles in forming U.S. policy throughout the early decades of the 20th century.Meijer, who has published a biography of his grandfather (Thrifty Years: The Life of Hendrik Meijer, 1984) and produced a documentary about Vandenberg (America's Senator, 2011), has done a thorough job collecting and examining the pieces of the story of the Michigan Republican who served in the Senate from 1928 to 1951. In a text that moves with resolute chronology, the author notes the senator's significant involvement in many important U.S. policy initiatives, including the United Nations, NATO, and the Marshall Plan. Although Vandenberg was initially an isolationist, he gradually changed his tune; by the end of his career, he was singing his full-throated support of America as an international leader. As Meijer demonstrates, Vandenberg worked across the aisle, which was a necessary strategy during the Franklin Roosevelt years when the Democrats held majorities in both houses. Vandenberg worked with fellow senators, Roosevelt, and President Harry Truman. The author also shows us a man with a wandering eye. Although he was twice married (his first wife died), he seems to have had an extended fling with another woman. The author describes and speculates but does not condemn these deeds, but he does suggest they could have been factors in his decision not to campaign more earnestly for the 1948 presidential nomination. Meijer gives us a portrait of a politician with somewhat of an old-school manner; he was an orator, a backroom master, and a strategist who loved hearing good things about himself (are their politicians who don't?). Principally, he shows us a man who believed in working with rather than condemning his colleagues. A sturdy and necessary biography of a politically principled man who is sadly fading into obscurity.COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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