Belle Moskowitz: Feminine Politics and the Exercise of Power in the Age of Alfred E. Smith

by Elisabeth Israels Perry

Overview

It is commonly believed that women’s entry into the political realm is a recent phenomenon. Originally published in 1992, Belle Moskowitz shatters that myth, restoring to history the career of a remarkable woman who achieved unprecedented influence and power in American politics many decades before the contemporary era. As political advisor to Alfred E. Smith, four-term governor of New York and presidential candidate. Moskowitz played a crucial role in both state and national politics throughout the 1920s. Elisabeth Israels Perry, who is Moskowitz’s granddaughter, has thoroughly searched through private and public records to document Moskowitz’s career, drawing as well on the reminiscences of Moskowitz’s daughter Miriam Israels Gabo. This outstanding biography was co-winner of the New York State Historical Association Manuscript Prize in 1987.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780429761706
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/19/2018
Series:	Routledge Library Editions: Women and Politics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	306
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Elisabeth Israels Perry

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. Guardian Angel of the Lower East Side 2. A New Woman 3. The Motherhood of the Commonwealth 4. Beyond the Committee Stage 5. Apostle of Industrial Peace 6. From Social Reform to Politics 7. Building the Partnership 8. A Power for Good 9. Policy and Publicity 10. The Selling of Al Smith. Epilogue. Appendix. Notes. Select Bibliography. Index.

Editorial Reviews

Perry, granddaughter of social activist Moskowitz, tells how the twice-widowed mother of three became a political strategist for New York governor and presidential candidate Alfred E. Smith. Illustrated. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In Belle Moskowitz: Feminine Politics And The Exercise Of Power In The Age Of Alfred E. Smith, Elisabeth Perry presents an impressive work of biographical scholarship on the woman who was four-term Democratic governor of New York and unsuccessful presidential candidate, Alfred E. Smith's closet political advisor. Bell Moskowitz (1877-1933) was the most powerful woman in Democratic party politics during the 1920s and served as Smith's strategist, public relations director, and campaign manager. She was also a major force in shaping the social welfare programs for which his gubernatorial administration is best remembered for today. A well-crafted feminist biography, Belle Moskowitz showcases a pioneering female activist who achieved unprecedented influence in American politics, only to fall into an undeserved obscurity. Belle Moskowitz redresses that historical oversight and is a very highly recommended contribution to women's studies, American political history, and feminist biography collections.

Internet Bookwatch

"This compact, compassionate biography honors an extraordinary life. . . In view of the imposing obstacles she overcame, Moskowitz's achievements 50 years ago ought to encourage the pragmatic women in politics today." —David Seidman, New York Times Book Review

"Belle Moskowitz belonged to a remarkable generation of skillful, energetic women whose reforming labors helped create modern urban liberalism in this century. . . . This is a fine introduction to a figure, who, like her compatriot Eleanor Roosevelt, defined the politics of her era as much as did the men who held high office."—Michael Kazin, Washington Post

From the Publisher