“Exhaustively researched and remarkably evenhanded.” —The New York Times
“Absorbing…the definitive life story.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A fascinating study.” —Los Angeles Times
In The Chairman, the authoritative biography of John J. McCloy, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Kai Bird chronicles the life of the man labeled “the most influential private citizen in America.”
Against the backgrounds of World War II, the Cold War, the construction of Pax Americana, the Cuban missile crisis, the Kennedy assassination, and Vietnam, Bird shows us McCloy’s astonishing rise from self-described “chore boy” to “chairman of the Establishment.”
His powerful circle shaped the postwar globe. But McCloy stood out among them as a towering figure of achievement: as a Wall Street lawyer who earned the confidence of captains of industry and presidents; as Henry Stimson’s right-hand man at the War Department; as president of the World Bank and chairman of the Chase financial empire; and as presidential adviser.
Bird captures every facet of this self-made man. We see McCloy’s commercial acumen as the most in-demand lawyer of Wall Street; his dictatorial will as high commissioner of occupied Germany; and his stoic loyalty as adviser to Presidents FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Ford, and Reagan.
Bird brilliantly explores how McCloy came to epitomize the American Establishment and the values of a generation that led the United States through bitter war and unparalleled prosperity.
- 800 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
The Chairman: John J McCloy & The Making of the American Establishment
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Preface
- Introduction · A Memorial
- Book I: The Making of a Wall Street Lawyer
- Book II: World War II
- Book III: Wall Street, the World Bank, and Germany
- Book IV: The Eisenhower Years
- Book V: The Kennedy Administration
- Book VI: LBJ’s Wise Man
- Book VII: Elder Statesman 1969–89
- Twilight Years
- Photographs
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Picture Credits
- Archival Sources
- Interviews
- Bibliography
- Index
- Copyright
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Yes, you can access The Chairman: John J McCloy & The Making of the American Establishment by Kai Bird in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Political Biographies. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.