Washington's Circle

February 16, 2015
In contrast to most other biographies of George Washington, the Heidlers (Henry Clay), both professors of history, draw a rich portrait of the man while addressing the importance of his cabinet, which he trusted to advise him as he took on a position he had initially refused. The Heidlers provide in-depth sketches of politicians and soldiers such as Secretary of War Henry Knox, who established a plan to pacify the Native Americans on the frontiers but eventually fell out with Washington in 1798. John Adams, vice president under Washington, was often treated with cold civility by senators and differed greatly from Washington; he succeeded in politics because of his honesty and his deep knowledge of political maneuvering. The work illuminates Washington’s canny wisdom as he navigates difficulties with Alexander Hamilton, his secretary of treasury, and Thomas Jefferson, his secretary of state. Benedict Arnold eventually betrayed Washington’s considerable trust, but around the same time Marquis de Lafayette came to occupy a significant place in Washington’s heart, displacing to some extent the memory of Arnold’s treachery. The Heidlers’ group biography brings to life not only Washington and his circle but also the struggles of the early American republic. Agent: Geri Thoma, Writers House.

January 15, 2015
An elegant study on the shaping of the first presidency through the excellent people he chose to serve with him.The Heidlers (Henry Clay: The Essential American, 2010, etc.) create a fully fleshed portrait of the first great Founder by comparison to and contrast with the many complicated personalities he had around him. Summoned out of his happy retirement in Mount Vernon to preside as the first president of the fledgling American government, because, in the compelling words of former aide Alexander Hamilton, "a citizen of so much consequence as yourself...has no option but to lend his services if called for," Washington was painfully aware of creating appropriate precedents. These included resisting a pompous title, not appointing his relatives to office, paying for his own personal comfort and maintaining a rather kingly formality. Washington was well-served by those loyal subordinates, including his wife, Martha, who burned all but four letters written between them, thus leaving little clue to their relationship aside from the fact that she provided a perfect, "stoic" complement to his gravity and taciturnity; his closest adviser and fellow Virginian James Madison, who helped Washington write his inaugural address and acted as the president's "indispensable bridge between budding executive wishes and developing congressional policy"; the irrepressible John Adams, who was deadly bored by the office of vice president but cast the important deciding vote in the first Senate to allow presidential prerogative in choosing the Treasury secretary; and Hamilton, who would, by his sheer brilliant brazenness, wield ambitious economic plans for the new republic. Moving the capital from New York to Philadelphia, quelling sectional differences and confronting the first foreign policy crisis with England, Washington relied on a host of other unsung colleagues, including Henry Knox, Edmund Randolph and Tobias Lear.A fluid work of historical research and engaging biography.

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February 1, 2015

Historians David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler (history, United States Air Force Acad.) have collaborated on numerous works, including Old Hickory's War and Henry Clay. Their latest explores how George Washington (1732-99) and a select group of advisors--including luminaries such as John Adams, James Madison, and John Jay--crafted the post of president of the United States. Although the men guiding Washington were united in their admiration of him, they were all to varying degrees distrustful of government and the powers it wielded. Some, led by Thomas Jefferson, wanted to vest power to the citizenry through the states. Others, strongly influenced by Alexander Hamilton, endeavored to centralize power in the federal government. Washington utilized the disparate suggestions provided to him in order to create a position that afforded an individual the authority required to manage the government. Through his actions, he also provided an example of the humility required to recognize that power was granted by the people and was given for a finite period. VERDICT This highly recommended work details a very contentious process in which disparate political philosophies were debated and combined to create the republic that we know today. Readers should also consider Robert Middlekauff's Washington's Revolution, reviewed below.--John R. Burch, Campbellsville Univ. Lib., KY

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