Compassionate Conservative

"We could use many more like him in our public life," was how Newsweek summed up the career of Joseph W. Martin Jr., a long-time Republican leader and chairman of the Republican National Committee and National Conventions. In this, the first full-length, scholarly examination of Martin's career, readers will encounter a devoted public servant who often modified his party's extreme stances on domestic matters during the Great Depression and on foreign policy issues leading up to World War II. This political biography effectively illustrates that bipartisanship does not mean abandonment of principles, that kindness, integrity, and gentility are compatible with effective leadership, and that close friendships with members of the opposing party can contribute to a more effective Congress.

James J. Kenneally is Professor Emeritus of history at Stonehill College. He is the author of several books on gender in American history.