Herbert H. Lehman: A Political Biography

by Duane Tananbaum

Overview

This new biography of Herbert Lehman—the first in a half century—fills the void left by historians and political scientists who have neglected one of the truly great liberal icons of the mid-twentieth century. Based on extensive research in archival sources, Herbert H. Lehman restores this four-term Governor of New York, US Senator, national and international humanitarian, and political reformer to his rightful place among the pantheon of liberal heroes of his era. By focusing on Lehman's interactions with Al Smith, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, and John Kennedy, Duane Tananbaum shows how Lehman succeeded politically despite his refusal to compromise with his conscience. In his thirty-five years of public service, Herbert Lehman fought the Republicans in the State Legislature to provide economic security for New Yorkers during the Great Depression, and he battled the bureaucrats in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration to feed the starving people in Europe and Asia during and after World War II. His efforts on behalf of "the welfare state," civil rights legislation, and immigration reform helped keep the liberal agenda alive until Congress, and the nation, were ready to enact it into law as part of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society in 1964–1965.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438463186
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	12/01/2017
Pages:	980
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Duane Tananbaum is Professor of American History at Lehman College, City University of New York, and the author of The Bricker Amendment Controversy: A Test of Eisenhower's Political Leadership.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Preface xiii

Chapter 1 "A Dearly Beloved Friend": Herbert Lehman and Lillian Wald 1

Chapter 2 "On a Chinese Laundry Ticket": Herbert Lehman and Al Smith 13

Chapter 3 "That Splendid Right Hand of Mine": Lieutenant Governor Herbert Lehman and Governor Franklin Roosevelt 37

Chapter 4 "The New Deal in Washington Is Being Duplicated by the 'Little' New Deal at Albany": Governor Lehman and President Roosevelt, 1933-1936 61

Chapter 5 "The End of a Beautiful Friendship"? Lehman and Roosevelt, 1937-1939 93

Chapter 6 "Fighting for Freedom, for Security, and for the Dignity of Man": Lehman and Roosevelt, 1933-1942 125

Chapter 7 "Governor Lehman … Doesn't Know the "Way Things Are Done in Washington": Lehman, Roosevelt, and OFRRO, 1942-1943 157

Chapter 8 "Freedom from Want": Lehman, Roosevelt, and UNRRA, 1943-1945 187

Chapter 9 "UNRRA's Problem Is That It Is Trying co Cover a 6-Foot Man with a 2-Foot Blanket": Herbert Lehman, Harry Truman, and UNRRA, 1945 221

Chapter 10 "The Work of UNRRA … Will Ever Be Close to My Heart": Lehman and Truman, 1946 249

Chapter 11 "Fighting for the Cause of Progressive and Liberal Government": Lehman and Truman, 1946-1948 269

Chapter 12 "If You Could See the Kind of People in New York City Making Up This Bloc That Is Voting for My Opponent": Lehman and the Election of 1949 297

Chapter 13 "I Will Not Compromise with My Conscience": Lehman and McCarthyism, 1950-1952 321

Chapter 14 "A Poison Has Begun Spreading Throughout Our Land": Lehman and McCarthyism, 1953-1954 359

Chapter 15 "The First Duty of Liberals Is Not to Exercise Power, but to Uphold Principle": Herbert Lehman and Lyndon Johnson, 1950-1954 383

Chapter 16 "An Inveterate Crusader": Lehman and Johnson, 1955-1956 421

Chapter 17 "A Symbol of Courage and Conscience in Public Affairs": Herbert Lehman and the Election of 1956 459

Chapter 18 "A Little Less Profile and a Little More Courage": Herbert Lehman and John Kennedy, 1950-1959 485

Chapter 19 "You Weren't Double-Crossed, J Was": Herbert Lehman, John Kennedy, and the Bosses, 1958-1960 531

Chapter 20 "To Free This City … from the Shackles of the Boss System": Herbert Lehman and the Bosses, 1961-1963 573

Chapter 21 "To Inspire Men and Women of All Generations": Herbert Lehman and President Kennedy, 1961-1963 603

Chapter 22 "We Mourn That He Is Gone but Glad That He Had Lived": Herbert Lehman and President Johnson, 1963-1964 633

Conclusion: "Consistently Liberal": Herbert Lehman and Liberalism 653

Notes 659

Bibliography 857

Index 893

Editorial Reviews

"…a major contribution to American political history and biography…" — American Jewish Archives Journal

"Thankfully for us all, Tananbaum has published a magnificent biography which is as readable as it is comprehensive … an exemplary political biography which will be widely read and respected." — American Jewish History

"...[an] authoritative biography." — New York Times

"Herbert Lehman served a distinguished career as governor, wartime relief administrator, and US senator. He built influential political alliances that spanned the era from FDR to LBJ, and stood resolutely against McCarthyism. Lehman has long deserved a substantial biography, and Duane Tananbaum's impeccably researched analysis admirably fills that need." — Donald A. Ritchie, historian emeritus of the Senate and author of The US Congress: A Very Short Introduction

"Duane Tananbaum's exhaustive research and acute analysis make this book a definitive political biography that illuminates not only Herbert Lehman but also the many arenas in which he operated. The book is a significant source for scholars interested in New York State and Democratic Party politics, the United Nations' first operational agency, Congressional politics during World War II and the early years of the Cold War and the impact of one of America's leading Jewish politicians on issues ranging from the status of refugees from Nazi Germany to the recognition of the State of Israel by the United States." — Robert Ingalls, University of South Florida

From the Publisher