Crusader for Democracy: The Political Life of William Allen White

by Charles Delgadillo

Overview

“Roosevelt bit me and I went mad,” William Allen White said of his first encounter with Teddy in 1897. He grudgingly praised Franklin D. Roosevelt’s performance at the 1943 Casablanca Conference with, “We who hate your gaudy guts salute you.” Editor of the Emporia (Kansas) Gazette, the Sage of Emporia is known for his quips, quotations, and a sharply crafted view from Main Street expressed in his 1896 essay, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” But for all his carefully cultivated small-town sagacity, William Allen White (1868–1944) was a public figure and political operator on a grand scale. Writing the first biography in a half-century to look at this side of White’s character and career, Charles Delgadillo brings to life a leading light of a once-widespread liberal Republican movement that has largely become extinct.

White built his reputation as the voice of the midwestern middle class through his nationally syndicated articles and editorials. Crusader for Democracy takes us behind the veneer of the small-town newspaperman to show us the sophisticated, well-traveled man of the world who rubbed elbows with local, state, and national politicians, world-renowned journalists and authors, political activists of all kinds, and every president from William McKinley to FDR. Paradoxically, White, the master of insider politics, was also an insurgent who fought a fifty-year crusade for liberal reform, usually through and sometimes against the Republican Party. Delgadillo’s vivid portrait gives readers a behind-the-scenes view of the twentieth-century political and economic order in the making, with William Allen White firmly in the middle, deploying the soft power of friendship and influence to advance the cause of the common man and the promise of equal opportunity as the very foundation of American democracy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780700626380
Publisher:	University Press of Kansas
Publication date:	05/25/2018
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Charles Delgadillo is a lecturer in history at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and Norco College, in California.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The man and His Methods

1. “He Wants No Office!”

2. Hell-Raiser

3. A War of Conquest

4. Saving the World

5. A Hard-Boiled World

6. Main Street Culture Warrior

7. Reluctant New Dealer

8. Freedom Fighter

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

Delgadillo’s book is focused on White’s political activities, as a “crusader for democracy” [and] it succeeds very well.”— Middle West Review

“Delgadillo has given us a much-needed new biography of an important political figure. He is to be congratulated on ensuring that this complicated and influential figure will continue to be remembered.”—Kansas History

"Crusader for Democracy is well written and meticulously researched, drawing on many primary sources. By turning the spotlight on White’s political career, Delgadillo has made a valuable contribution to our understanding of the relationship of journalism to politics in the first part of the twentieth century."—H-Net Reviews

"A well-written and enjoyable read, Crusader for Democracy makes an important contribution to the literature on the press and politics. Highly recommended"—Choice

"Delgadillo traces White’s exploits as a leading Progressive during that movement’s heady heyday, as well as his frustrations as the U.S. moved into the more conservative 1920s and, finally, his reluctance to embrace fully Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal."—Wall Street Journal

"A solid piece of history, based as it is on primary documents in nineteen archives."—Journalism History

"Those who read Crusader for Democracy will learn much about this important man that can offer us a blueprint for navigating through our current tumultuous political times."—Claremont Review of Books

"Drawing extensively on White’s papers and other archival sources, Delgadillo’s fine portrait of this important historical figure will appeal to those interested in journalism and political biographies."—Library Journal

“Charles Delgadillo has produced a full-fledged political biography of William Allen White that showcases the political power and influence of a man who never sought public office but for five decades had the ear of the nation’s leaders, Democrats and Republicans alike. The author demonstrates a mastery of White’s writings, including his books, newspaper articles, autobiography, and vast correspondence. Crusader for Democracy is a nuanced account of how a stubbornly provincial man nonetheless became a valued confidant and adviser to some of the most influential leaders in American history, including Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.”—Nancy C. Unger, author of Fighting Bob La Follette: The Righteous Reformer

“Charles Delgadillo’s Crusader for Democracy is the long-awaited biography of William Allen White, the famed editor of the Emporia Gazette. White was a political giant in his own right, and Delgadillo ably tells us why with clear prose, meticulous research, and absorbing analysis. Highly recommended!”—Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and author of Cronkite

“Delgadillo mixes a keen eye for the historical details of William Allen White’s life with old-fashioned political history and tops it off with a contemporary and urgent desire to understand the underpinnings of American politics. The book will leave all readers with a strong sense of the timelessness of many political issues, the shifting coalitions and forces that drive the political system, and the once crucial role played by the Midwest in the political past—a role that has again returned the region to the spotlight.”—Jon Lauck, University of South Dakota 

From the Publisher

06/01/2018
In his first book, Delgadillo (history, California State Polytechnic Univ., Pomona; Norco Coll.) provides an engrossing political biography of William Allen White (1868–1944), owner and editor of the Emporia (Kansas) Gazette, perhaps best known for his 1896 editorial "What's the Matter with Kansas?" White never sought political office and refused job offers at larger, more prestigious newspapers, but he nevertheless cultivated close ties with the most influential politicians of the time, making the city of Emporia a required stop on the campaign trail. A lifelong progressive and Republican, White campaigned for many Republican candidates and formed a lasting friendship with Theodore Roosevelt and helped found the Bull Moose Party in 1912. Although initially distrustful of Franklin D. Roosevelt, White came to see much in the New Deal that echoed his commitment to progressivism. In the 1940s, White became a leading voice in the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies, serving as a much-needed Midwestern, Republican member, which balanced the more radical New York branch. VERDICT Drawing extensively on White's papers and other archival sources, Delgadillo's fine portrait of this important historical figure will appeal to those interested in journalism and political biographies.—Chad E. Statler, Westlake Porter P.L., Westlake, OH

Library Journal