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William F. Knowland was a leading figure in Republican politics during the 1950s. As Senate Majority Leader, he was instrumental in shaping government policy throughout the decade and played a key role in the appointment of Earl Warren to the Supreme Court. But he left Congress to run for governor in his native California in 1958, hoping to set a presidential campaign in motion, and instead brought his political career to a halt. Biographers Gayle B. Montgomery and James W. Johnson both worked for Knowland at the Oakland Tribune, which he published from 1966, taking over after his father's half-century reign, until depression and debt led him to suicide in 1974. Their account of his life is notable for its thoroughness of detail, which--by explaining just how much power Knowland held and just how far he fell--renders its tragic tale all the more powerful.
From Library Journal
Authors Montgomery and Johnson worked as journalists at the Oakland Tribune, the newspaper once owned by the Knowland family, which originally propelled the Knowlands into California politics. Knowland served in the California assembly and the army before being appointed to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat in 1945. In 1957, he left the Senate to run for governor of California, losing in an avalanche of votes for Edmund G. "Pat" Brown. Knowland then experienced a personal decline that ended in a failed marriage and the loss of the family fortune. While the book is well written and researched, and Knowland's association with Earl Warren and Nixon provides some insight into those famous Californians, the reader must follow the tragic life of an "also ran." In the end, Knowland wound up taking his own life in despair in 1974. Recommended reading that will appeal to political historians or those interested in California politics.?Mark E. Ellis, Albany State Univ. Lib., Leesburg, GA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
