Look for Dan Abrams and David Fisher’s new book, Kennedy’s Avenger: Assassination, Conspiracy, and the Forgotten Trial of Jack Ruby. THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 2020 Audie Finalist–History/Biography A Mental Floss Book to Read in Summer 2019 “Gripping…. Theodore Roosevelt for the Defense is a must-read.” –NPR A President on Trial. A Reputation at Stake. ABC News legal …
A President on Trial. A Reputation at Stake.
ABC News legal correspondent and host of LIVE PD Dan Abrams reveals the story of Teddy Roosevelt’s last stand–an epic courtroom battle against corruption–in this thrilling follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Lincoln’s Last Trial.
“No more dramatic courtroom scene has ever been enacted,” reported the Syracuse Herald on May 22, 1915 as it covered “the greatest libel suit in history,” a battle fought between former President Theodore Roosevelt and the leader of the Republican party.
Roosevelt , the boisterous and mostly beloved legendary American hero, had accused his former friend and ally, now turned rival, William Barnes of political corruption. The furious Barnes responded by suing Roosevelt for an enormous sum that could have financially devastated him. The spectacle of Roosevelt defending himself in a lawsuit captured the imagination of the nation, and more than fifty newspapers sent reporters to cover the trial. Accounts from inside and outside the courtroom combined with excerpts from the trial transcript give us Roosevelt in his own words and serve as the heart of Theodore Roosevelt for the Defense.
This was Roosevelt’s final fight to defend his political legacy, and perhaps regain his fading stature. He spent more than a week on the witness stand, revealing hidden secrets of the American political system, and then endured a merciless cross-examination. Witnesses including a young Franklin D. Roosevelt and a host of well-known political leaders were questioned by two of the most brilliant attorneys in the country.
Following the case through court transcripts, news reports, and other primary sources, Dan Abrams and David Fisher present a high-definition picture of the American legal system in a nation standing on the precipice of the Great War, with its former president fighting for the ideals he held dear.
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This beautifully-wrought story of Theodore Roosevelt’s defense of his claims of corruption in New York State politics has intense echoes today. Abrams and Fisher do a superb job of clearly presenting the issues in this remarkable and intensely dramatic trial.
DNF. Interesting story about T.R. getting sued for libel over the kind of thing that is said by politicians all the time. I really expected the premise of the case to be intriguing, but really it was very simple. Instead, T.R.’s entire career ended up being on trial. I learned a lot about how the court system was so different 100 years ago, but overall the writing was just too dull for me. The book is more than 50% court transcripts, which is great for posterity but doesn’t always make for interesting reading. The author could have done better about keeping the “big picture” at the forefront instead of histories of small squabbles T.R. had with other politicians.
Interesting historical perspective; however a better read for lawyers or those interested in the law.
Tedious
I’m going to call this book TRD, because that will make my life easier…
…which is probably why I will never be Teddy Roosevelt.
Teddy never took the easy road, and that’s what this book is about.
Teddy went toe-to-toe with presidents. He led the Rough Riders into battle. He collected thousands of animal specimens for the Smithsonian. He nearly died exploring the Amazon—and yet, despite these amazing exploits, this book is devoted to the time Teddy got sued.
Why such a banal selection?
Because there’s actually nothing banal about it. Teddy was always outspoken, challenging anyone he thought was corrupt or negligent. Eventually, it landed him in a libel suit.
In essence, he accused the highest bosses of the Republican and Democratic parties of conspiring together to control the government for their own gain. So the suing began, and the burden of proof rested on Teddy. Unfortunately for him, proving backdoor deals and clandestine meetings was a tricky business, especially in the early 1900’s.
So the trial came down to a question of character. Was Teddy Roosevelt truly a righteous (or at least zealous) crusader for the rights of the common man, or was he just another politician, scheming for power?
The court case cut deep into Teddy’s life, and this book does an excellent job of condensing and retelling it. Teddy’s time on the stand is painted vividly, as he literally pounded his views into the railing around the witness stand. TRD is thoroughly researched, and entertainingly written. I bogged down somewhat in the legal explanations and trial transcriptions, but that’s not a negative comment on the book, it’s simply a characteristic of the genre.
Teddy was hilarious, irrepressible, flamboyant, and in the end, I think he was right.
I won’t reveal the verdict of the case, but I’m not sure that it matters anyway. It wasn’t about whether he had to pay or not, it was about who Teddy really was, as a president, a governor, and a human being.
So maybe the only opinion that really matters is yours. Who was Teddy Roosevelt?
Pick up a copy and decide for yourself.
Growing up on Long Island just miles from Teddy Roosevelt’s historic home I thought I knew just about everything about our 26th President. I was wrong. Using Roosevelt’s eight days of testimony, Dan Abrams and David Fisher present a fascinating window onto the former President Roosevelt that is fresh and often surprising. This trial and Roosevelt’s defense of his reputation on the stand, often under fierce questioning, is truly mesmerizing.