How to do this project, apparently
Step one: research and compile a comprehensive list of the best biographies of each former American President.
Step two: consider that because of Grover Cleveland being the non-consecutive President, there are forty-three subjects on this list. Then remember that Gen. Zachary Taylor was elected in part because he’s so boring. And that William Henry Harrison was a non-starter. And think there’s not much to say about Herbert Hoover.
(Step two-b: prepare yourself to be very, very wrong about Herbert Hoover. He’s amazing.)
Step three: add ten more biographies of Woulda/Coulda/Shouldas to the list–Henry Clay and Robert LaFolette and William Jennings Bryan, that ilk. Revel in the fact that fifty-three is also a prime number. Try to ignore the fact that this list is about fifty-two white men and Barack Obama.
Step four: create a randomization process to ensure a non-consecutive order by averaging out historians’ rankings of the Presidents, and then going by tens, with Woulda/Coulda/Shouldas in between. But, I moved around the lower tiers, probably for the sake of variety–I’ve since lost my copious notes on the process. For our purposes, I’ll put two numbers in parenthesis by each–the first number is the averaged ranking by historians, the second is where they land in the order of Presidents. (For Grover Cleveland, I’ve hyphenated 22 and 24.) For Woulda/Coulda/Shouldas, I’ve put nothing besides them.
LINCOLN: Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.
CLINTON: Harris, John F. The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House
TAFT: Gould, Lewis L. The William Howard Taft Presidency.
(NIXON: Perlstein, Rick. Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America.
PIERCE: Holt, Michael F. Franklin Pierce
HENRY CLAY: Heidler, David S. and Jean T. Heidler. Henry Clay: The Essence of America
T. ROOSEVELT: Morris, Edmund. Theodore Rex.
JACKSON: Meacham, Jon. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
VAN BUREN: Niven, John. Martin Van Buren: The Romantic Age of American Politics
TAYLOR: Bauer, K. Jack. Zachary Taylor: Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old Southwest
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN: Kazin, Michael. A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan
EISENHOWER: Ambrose, Steven E. Eisenhower: Soldier and President.
L. JOHNSON: Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream.
GRANT: Smith, Jean Edward. Grant
HARDING: Dean, John W. Warren G. Harding
ROBERT LAFOLLETTE: Unger, Nancy C. Fighting Bob LaFollette: The Righteous Reformer.
F. ROOSEVELT: Smith, Jean Edward. FDR
J. ADAMS: McCullough, David. John Adams.
CLEVELAND: Brodsky, Alyn. Grover Cleveland: A Study in Character.
CARTER: Zelizer, Julian. Jimmy Carter
BUCHANAN: Klein, Philip Shriver. President James Buchanan: A Biography
JOHN C. CALHOUN: Bartlett, Irving R. John C. Calhoun: A Biography
JEFFERSON: Meacham, Jon. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
KENNEDY: Schlesinger, Arthur K. A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House.
COOLIDGE: Shlaes, Amity. Coolidge.
W.H. HARRISON: Owens, Robert M. Mr. Jefferson’s Hammer: William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy
JEFFERSON DAVIS*: McPherson, James M. Embattled Rebel: Jefferson Davis as Commander in Chief.
MONROE: Unger, Harlow. The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation’s Call to Greatness.
MCKINLEY: Morgan, H. Wayne. William McKinley and His America
HAYES: Hoogenboom, Ari. Rutherford B. Hayes: Warrior & President
FILLMORE: Rayback, Robert J. Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
MADISON: Ketcham, Ralph. Madison: A Biography.
G. H. W. BUSH: Meacham, Jon. Destiny and Power: /The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush
ARTHUR: Reeves, Thomas C. Gentleman Boss: The Life and Times of Chester Alan Arthur.
HOOVER: Lyons, Eugene. Herbert Hoover: A Biography
DANIEL WEBSTER: Remini, Robert V. Daniel Webster: The Man of His Time
WASHINGTON: Chernow, Ron. Washington: A Life
REAGAN: Cannon, Lou. President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime.
OBAMA: Remnick, David. The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama
B. HARRISON: Calhoun, Charles W. Benjamin Harrison.
A. JOHNSON: Trefousse, Hans L. Andrew Johnson: A Biography
ROBERT A. TAFT: Patterson, James T. Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert A. Taft.
TRUMAN: McCullough, David. Truman.
POLK: Borneman, Walter. Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America.
GARFIELD: Millard, Candice. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President.
G. W. BUSH: Smith, Jean Edward. Bush.
BARRY GOLDWATER: Perlstein, Rick. Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus
WILSON: Cooper, John Milton. Woodrow Wilson.
J.Q. ADAMS: Unger, Harlow. John Quincy Adams
FORD: Cannon, James. Gerald R. Ford: An Honorable Life
TYLER: Chitwood, Oliver Perry. John Tyler: Champion of the Old South
ALEXANDER HAMILTON: Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton
*I read a biography on Jefferson Davis because he was, technically, a President, and also, he was absolutely the most uninteresting, uninspired person to read a biography on. I remember nothing about it–and I don’t blame the copious amounts of beer that helped me through some of these (looking at you, Old Rough and Ready!). I picked ten men who were instrumental in moving the country forward–Davis’ inclusion was more to see if I could find anything redeemable about a traitor. Not especially!
arthurthelesser 