"Gentleman George" Hunt Pendleton: Party Politics and Ideological Identity in Nineteenth-century AmericaThe first modern biography of this notable politician "Mach's detailed and thoughtful examination of Ohio lawyer-politician-diplomat George Hunt Pendleton is an impressive piece of scholarship and will surely be the standard for decades to come." "George H. Pendleton was a significant and prominent Ohio and national politician who clearly merits a biography." George Hunt Pendleton is a significant but neglected figure in the history of nineteenth-century politics. A Democrat from Cincinnati, Ohio, Pendleton led the midwestern faction of the party for much of the nineteenth century. He served in the Ohio Senate for one term before serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1857 until 1865. He was a leader of the Extreme Peace Democrats during the Civil War and was General George B. McClellan's running mate in the presidential campaign of 1864. Losing both the election and his seat in the House, he spent almost fifteen years out of public office. During those years he remained active in the Democratic Party both within Ohio and across the nation and was rewarded with a seat in the U.S. Senate. Serving one term from 1879 to 1885, Pendleton fathered the first major civil service reform legislation, the Pendleton Act of 1883. "Gentleman George" not only provides a microcosm of Democratic Party operations during Pendleton's lifetime but is also a case study in the longevity of Jacksonian principles. In an era of intense Democratic factionalism stretching from the 1850s to the 1880s, Pendleton sought to unite the divided party around its traditional Jacksonian principles, which, when reapplied to address the changing political issues, became the foundation of the midwestern Democratic ideology. With its close examination of nineteenth-century American politics, this biography will be welcomed by scholars and lovers of history alike. |
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... result of action by the territorial legislature . As a result , he ignored the Topekans and refused to recognize that the Lecompton gathering failed to adequately represent the territorial settlers . Neither side relinquished its ...
... result , he appeared to be buffeted about by the winds of political infighting . Frequently those winds blew in from Cincinnati in the form of scathing editorials in the Enquirer , but even now Pendleton was becoming his own man . In ...
... result , he did not placate interests such as McLean back home . This caused McLean to bid for more influence in the party . It became a contest for control of the party , with Pendleton the victim . For McLean , he could easily ride ...
Contents
The Young Politician from Cincinnati | 32 |
Pendleton and the Peace Democrats | 60 |
Pendleton the Obstructionist | 80 |
Copyright | |
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