Josephus Daniels

As a longtime leader of the Democratic Party and key member of Woodrow Wilsons cabinet, Josephus Daniels was one of the most influential progressive politicians in the country, and as secretary of the navy during the First World War, he became one of the most important men in the world. Before that, Daniels revolutionized the newspaper industry in the South, forever changing the relationship between politics and the news media. Lee A. Craig, an expert on economic history, delves into Danielss extensive archive to inform this nuanced and eminently readable biography, following Danielss rise to power in North Carolina and chronicling his influence on twentieth-century politics.A man of great contradictions, Daniels an ardent prohibitionist, free trader, and Free Silverite made a fortune in private industry yet served as a persistent critic of unregulated capitalism. He championed progressive causes like the graded public school movement and antitrust laws even as he led North Carolinas white supremacy movement. Craig pulls no punches in his definitive biography of this political powerhouse.