1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910164927103321

Titolo

When life strikes the president : scandal, death, and illness in the White House / / edited by Jeffrey A. Engel and Thomas J. Knock

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, NY : , : Oxford University Press, , 2017

ISBN

0-19-065077-X

0-19-065078-8

0-19-065076-1

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (361 pages) : illustrations

Disciplina

973.099

Soggetti

Presidents - United States - Health

Presidents - United States - Psychology

Presidents - United States - Decision making

Political corruption - United States

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Includes index.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

A crisis of his own contrivance : Andrew Jackson's break with John C. Calhoun / Daniel Feller -- "I am president" : John Tyler, presidential succession, the crisis of legitimacy, and the defense of presidential power / Aaron Scott Crawford -- Personal loss and Franklin Pierce's presidency / Michael F. Holt -- Abraham Lincoln and the death of his son Willie / Michael Burlingame -- "One long wilderness of despair" : Woodrow Wilson's stroke and the League of Nations / Thomas J. Knock -- Calvin Coolidge : "when he went the power and the glory of the presidency went with him" / Amity Shlaes -- The splendid deception of "Doctor" Roosevelt / Frank Costigliola -- The Kennedy family through sickness and death / David Nasaw -- Lyndon Johnson at home and abroad / Randall B. Woods -- A depressed and self-destructive president : Richard Nixon in the White House / Jeremi Suri -- Governing during a time of crisis : the Reagan presidency / Kiron K. Skinner -- The Clintons : the politics of the personal / William Chafe.

Sommario/riassunto

Life does not stop simply because someone becomes president. Death, illness, sadness, and scandal affect every president and his family - often during their time in office. Yet the work of the nation and the



pressures of the job do not cease simply because a president suffers, though their reaction, suffering, and perseverance often alters the course of American history. Thus, the volume reveals alternately the frailty, the humanity, and the strength of character of the twelve presidents under scrutiny.