Duncan Upshaw Fletcher

Dixie's Reluctant Progressive

Häftad, Engelska, 2026

479 kr

Kommande

A Southern senator at the crossroads of change.Duncan Upshaw Fletcher: Dixie's Reluctant Progressive is the definitive portrait of one of Florida's most influential yet overlooked political figures. Serving in the U.S. Senate from 1909 to 1936, Fletcher bridged the gap between Wilsonian progressivism and Roosevelt's New Deal, shaping landmark legislation such as the Federal Farm Loan Act, the Shipping Act, and major banking reforms. Far from a demagogue, Fletcher was a methodical, pragmatic leader who championed moderation, urban progressivism, and economic development while resisting racial and religious extremism. Wayne Flynt's deeply researched biography illuminates Fletcher's paradoxical career—a Unitarian in a fundamentalist state, a reformer who later embraced conservatism, and a Southern Democrat who became a loyal New Dealer. Through vivid analysis of Florida's turbulent political landscape, the book explores themes of coalition-building, economic modernization, and the South's evolving role in national politics. This work will captivate readers interested in Southern history, political biography, and the roots of modern progressivism. Scholars of the New Deal, reform movements, and Florida history will find it indispensable, while general readers will appreciate its lucid style and insights into a leader whose story resonates with today's debates over moderation, governance, and social change.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-06-01
Mått152 x 229 x undefined mm
Vikt454 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor224
FörlagUniversity Alabama Press
ISBN9780817362829

Tillhör följande kategorier

Chapter I. The Makings of a RebelChapter II. "Cracker" ProgressivismChapter III. Two Roads to ArmageddonChapter IV. Florida and the New FreedomChapter V. A Progressive Approach to AgricultureChapter VI. The People's ShipsChapter VII. A Miscellany of Wilsonian Politics —State and NationalChapter VIII. Florida and the Politics of NormalcyChapter IX. A Cautious Progressive Among "Wild Jackasses"Chapter X. Duncan Fletcher and the New DealChapter XI. The Career of a Conservative-ProgressiveBibliographyIndex

"A lean and carefully written biography that rescues Duncan Upshaw Fletcher from unmerited obscurity. Flynt has used complementary manuscript and archival collections with excellent results and produced a meaningful contribution to southern and national history." —Journal of Southern History "All readers are likely to appreciate the attention which this study devotes to the interaction of a politician with his local constituency in the career of Duncan Upshaw Fletcher." —Florida Historical Quarterly "Duncan Fletcher was a man of flexibility and moderation who shied away from dogmatic extremes; the phrase 'reluctant progressive' is an apt summary. His career, therefore, was full of mild paradoxes. Flynt has produced a skillful survey of the public life which is built on wide research in the public records and the papers of contemporaries and which is presented in a straightforward, lucid style." —Journal of American History "In Wayne Flynt's lucid and well-written study, Fletcher's roots in the Reconstruction South left him with a lifelong suspicion of the uses of centralized governmental power, while at the same time his own efforts to rebuild his family's shattered fortunes made him sensitive to the values of 'cooperation and social democracy.'" —American Historical Review