...Political

Claude G. Bowers
Spokesman for Democracy, 1878-1958

Peter J. Sehlinger and Holman Hamilton
Foreword by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Published by the Indiana Historical Society
As a journalist, orator, politician, historian, and diplomat, Claude Bowers defended democracy locally, nationally, and internationally. Through his writings and as editor for newpapers in Indianapolis, Terre Haute, and Fort Wayne, Bowers supported liberal reform. Nationally, Bowers was an outspoken proponent of William Jennings Bryan's populist ideas, Woodrow Wilson's progressivism, and Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Harry Truman described Bowers as "one of the most able public men of his generation."
358 pp., 2000. Cloth. Illustrations, notes. Bibliography, index.

Homer E. Capehart
A Senator’s Life, 1897–1979

William B. Pickett
Published by the Indiana Historical Society
Homer E. Capehart’s life is a remarkable success story. Lacking any formal education beyond high school, Capehart was a self-made millionaire by the 1930s. Turning to politics, he made a career out of opposition to big government and support for an anti-interventionist foreign policy. "A worthy biography of this important Hoosier politician, one that deserves attention from all interested in Indiana and American political history in the postwar years." Indiana Magazine of History
272 pp. 1990. Cloth. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.

Award of Merit Ohio Museums Association 1990 Publications Competition.

Reviews.

Indiana 1816 to 1850
The Pioneer Era
Volume II of History of Indiana Series

Donald F. Carmony
Published by the Indiana Historical Society and Indiana Historical Bureau
This volume explores the political, economic, agricultural, and educational developments in the early years of the nineteenth state. Carmony’s book also describes how and why Indiana developed as it did during its formative years and its role as a member of the United States.
Xiv, 924 pp. 1998. Paper and cloth. Bibliography, notes, index.

Cloth, 0-87195-124-X
Paper, 0-87195-125-8

Reviews.

Indiana in Transition
The Emergence of an Industrial Commonwealth, 1880-1920
Volume IV of History of Indiana Series

Clifton J. Phillips
Published by the Indiana Historical Society and Indiana Historical Bureau
This volume covers the period during which Indiana underwent political, economic, and social changes that furthered its evolution from a primarily rural-agricultural society to a predominantly urban-industrial commonwealth. "A model of meaningful state history." Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society.
xiv, 674 pp. 1968. Cloth. Bibliography, notes, index.

1969 AASLH Award of Merit. Volume IV of History of Indiana Series.

Reviews.

Indiana to 1816
The Colonial Period
Volume I of History of Indiana Series

John D. Barnhart and Dorothy Riker
Published by the Indiana Historical Society and Indiana Historical Bureau
The authors present Indiana’s past from its prehistory through the advance to statehood. Topics covered include the French and British presence, the American Revolution, and the territorial days. "Absorbing and readable." Filson Club History Quarterly.
xvi, 520 pp. 1971. Reprinted 1999. Paper and cloth. Bibliography, notes, index.

Reviews.

Sherman Minton
New Deal Senator, Cold War Justice

Linda C. Gugin and James E. St. Clair
Published by the Indiana Historical Society

Written by Gugin and St. Clair, Indiana University Southeast professors, this book details the life of Indiana native Sherman Minton (1890–1965), U.S. senator (1935–41), justice of the Seventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals (1941–49), and U.S. Supreme Court justice (1949–56). In his foreword, Abner J. Mikva, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Washington, D.C. Circuit, states that "this is a long overdue biography. Sherman Minton of Indiana was the last appointee to the Supreme Court who had prior experience as a member of Congress. . . . What makes this biography so pertinent is its thorough examination of Minton’s entire career. . . . The book describes a direction on the Supreme Court that no longer exists and probably will not be replicated."
392 pp. 1997. Cloth. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.

Reviews.

The Northwest Ordinance
1787
A Bicentennial Handbook

Edited by Robert M. Taylor Jr.
Published by the Indiana Historical Society
This unique attempt to place the Northwest Ordinance in its historical context brings together the work of nineteen historians of the Old Northwest period. The volume contains introductory and concluding essays and an Ordinance text that is annotated by authors with a special interest or expertise in one of the document’s sections or articles. A chronology, a selected bibliography, and an index, along with numerous maps, illustrations, and a colorful format, make the book ideal for classroom use. "This book, handsomely printed, . . . provides an excellent introduction to the Northwest Ordinance. It should prove valuable to students and scholars alike." Indiana History Bulletin
xxiv, 136 pp. 1987. Paper and cloth. Illustrations, notes, maps, bibliography, index.

Reviews.

Thomas Taggart
Public Servant, Political Boss, 1856–1929

James Philip Fadely
Published by the Indiana Historical Society

Hoosier Democratic party boss and businessman Thomas Taggart is the subject of this biography, written by James Philip Fadely, an Indianapolis educator and writer. The book examines Taggart’s skills and success in both business and politics. Coming from a humble immigrant background, Taggart worked his way up from clerk at the dining hall at the old Union Depot in Indianapolis to proprietor of two hotels in the capital city. He also was widely known as the man responsible for developing French Lick Springs Hotel in southern Indiana into a world-class spa for the rich and famous. With his hotels and far-flung business interests, Taggart became one of the state’s wealthiest men. For a third of a century he also was the undisputed boss of the Democratic machine in Indiana. He made governors, congressmen, senators, vice presidents, and even presidents.
267 pp. 1997. Cloth. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.

Reviews.