The first full-scale biography of John Hay since 1934: From secretary to Abraham Lincoln to secretary of state for Theodore Roosevelt; Hay was an essential American figure for more than half a century.John Taliaferro’s brilliant biography captures the extraordinary life of Hay; one of the most amazing figures in American history; and restores him to his rightful place. Private secretary to Lincoln and secretary of state to Theodore Roosevelt; Hay was both witness and author of many of the most significant chapters in American history—from the birth of the Republican Party; the Civil War; the Spanish-American War; to the prelude to World War I. As an ambassador and statesman; he guided many of the country’s major diplomatic initiatives at the turn of the twentieth century: the Open Door with China; the creation of the Panama Canal; and the establishment of America as a world leader. Hay’s friends are a who’s who of the era: Mark Twain; Horace Greeley; Henry Adams; Henry James; and virtually every president; sovereign; author; artist; power broker; and robber baron of the Gilded Age. His peers esteemed him as “a perfectly cut stone†and “the greatest prime minister this republic has ever known.†But for all his poise and polish; he had his secrets. His marriage to one of the wealthiest women in the country did not prevent him from pursuing the Madame X of Washington society; whose other secret suitor was Hay’s best friend; Henry Adams. All the Great Prizes; the first authoritative biography of Hay in eighty years; renders a rich and fascinating portrait of this brilliant American and his many worlds.
#17617518 in Books 2003-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.33 x 6.94 x 8.80l; #File Name: 1410749630440 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Made me have some memories.By Msg Herbert B. SpencerA very good story about a medical aid station at Battalion Level in the Korean war. Well written on the military terms. Very interesting material.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. "Should Be Soldiers" A Great ReadBy Ruth LansfordAs an infantry officer who served during the Korean War; I was delighted by John Benton's terrific book; "Should Be Soldiers." Benton; a captain with the Army's 2nd Infantry Division during some of the hottest fighting in that war; shows us a seldom explored side of combat -- what happens to the soldier when his luck runs out and he ends up WIA. Most frontline soldiers don't dwell on it; yet the possibility of wounds or death are part of the daily grind. In Dr. Benton's gutsy; knowledgeable account of his days as a combat medic we get a real; in-depth and unflinching picture of what happens when the enemy takes us apart and it falls to our medics to put us together again; often under fire; under stress and under conditions that few civilian doctors can even imagine. This is a book that looks at combat from a point of view few of us have ever considered: the story of soldiers who save lives rather than take them; but who must often put their own lives on the line to get the job done. That said; Benton's book also examines a unique factor: what happens when a doctor must set his healing tools aside and take command as a combat leader. The account of the Chinese suddenly entering the war and the retreat of the U.S. forces from North Korea makes some of the most exciting reading imaginable. And Benton's in the middle of it.I give "Should Be Soldiers" 5 well-deserved stars.Reviewed by William Douglas Lansford
