Though reviled for more than a century as Wall Street's greatest villain, Jay Gould was in fact its most original creative genius. Gould was the robber baron's robber baron, the most astute financial and business strategist of his time and also the most widely hated. In Dark Genius of Wall Street, acclaimed biographer Edward J. Renehan, Jr., combines lively anecdotes with the rich social tapestry of the Gilded Age to paint the portrait of the most talented financial buccaneer of his generation -- and one of the inventors of modern business.
In his The Autocrat at the Breakfast Table, Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote: "The world's great men have not commonly been great scholars, nor its great scholars great men." The Rev. Seymour St. John, D.D., (1912-2006) proved the exception to this rule. A gifted scholar, vigorous teacher, intrepid administrator, passionate athlete, and devoted man of the cloth, Seymour was also - as virtually all who knew him agree - a wonderfully gifted individual and, in the final analysis, a truly great man. The profound impact of St. John upon on an entire generation of students during his tenure at Choate - later Choate Rosemary Hall - cannot be overstated. St. John assembled one of the finest faculties in the world, expanded the school's infrastructure and constituency, and cemented Choate's place in the forefront of northeastern preparatory schools. Seymour's friends included I.M. Pei, Jack Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, Douglas Dillon, Paul Mellon, George H.W. Bush, and playwright Edward Albee. St. John's uncle, Charles Seymour, was President of Yale (from which Seymour graduated Phi Beta Kappa); his mother a Greek scholar; his father the longtime Headmaster of Choate before Seymour's tenure. Seymour St. John distinguished himself as a naval officer in Europe during World War II. He won a battle star for his participation in D-Day. Later on, he was instrumental in reinvigorating ravaged continental shipping and fishing ports, and otherwise worked to bring order to the abject chaos that was postwar Europe. Ranging in terrain from Wallingfort, Ct. to Haversham, RI, Jupiter Island, Florida, and the far corners of the world, this superb biography, based on private papers held by Seymour's widow Marie L. St. John, chronicles the story of a brilliant and vital man whose life was a blessing not only to himself, but to all whom he encountered.
Jack Kerouac's ON THE ROAD endures as a benchmark in postwar American Letters and an eternal rite of passage for youth. But how many of these young readers actually "get" Kerouac's theme of individual redemption? How many, instead of encountering themselves in the novel as Kerouac intended, encounter only the ghosts of others: the "Beats" of Kerouac's era and imagination? In this penetrating consideration, Ed Renehan reveals Kerouac's main inspirations (and process) in creating ON THE ROAD, and considers the impact the book had on both the author and his times. Most importantly, he examines why the novel Kerouac meant as a banshee cry against orthodoxy has too often been misconstrued as a promotional brochure for mock-rebellion: mere imitation of what others have done before, mere mimicking of the novel's "Beat" characters.
Armed with a trove of previously unreleased archives, Edward J. Renehan Jr. offers a compelling portrait of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who built large shipping and rail enterprises into cornerstones of the American economy, and amassed one of the greatest fortunes the world has ever known. This is the definitive biography of a man whose influence on American business was unsurpassed in his day -- or any other.
A dramatic, fascinating–and revisionist–narrative detailing how America’s first family was changed utterly during World War II. First-rate history grounded in scholarship and brought to life by a critically acclaimed author. From breathless hagiographies to scandal-mongering exposés, no family has generated more bestselling books than the Kennedys. None of them, however, has focused on the watershed period of World War II, when the course of the family and its individual members changed utterly. Now, in an engaging narrative grounded in impeccable scholarship, Edward J. Renehan, Jr., provides a dramatic portrait of years marked by family tensions, heartbreaks, and heroics. It was during this time that tragedy began to haunt the family–Joe Jr.’s death, the untimely widowhood of Kathleen (a.k.a. “Kick”), Rosemary’s lobotomy. But it was also the time in which John F. Kennedy rose above the strictures of the clan and became his own man. In the late 1930s, the Kennedys settled in London, where Joseph Kennedy, Sr., was serving as ambassador. A virulent anti-Semite and isolationist, Kennedy relentlessly and ruthlessly fought to keep America out of the war in Europe. His behavior as patriarch in many ways mirrored his public style. Though he was devoted to the family, he was also manipulative and autocratic. In re-creating the intense and tension-filled interactions among the family, Renehan offers riveting, often revisionist views of Joseph Sr.; heir apparent Joe Jr.; Kick, the beautiful socialite; and Jack, the complex charmer. He demonstrates that Joe Jr., although much like his father in opinion and character, was driven to volunteer for a deadly mission in large part because of his fury at Jack’s seemingly easy successes. Renehan also delves into why Kick, a good Catholic girl, chose to abandon her religion for the chance to enter the fairytale world of the British aristocracy, only to suffer a horrendous tragedy. It is Renehan’s reassessment of Jack, however, that is particularly striking. In subtly breaking away from his domineering father over the issue of World War II, Renehan argues, Jack began to forge the character that would eventually take him to the Oval Office. Going behind the familiar (and accurate) image of JFK as a reckless playboy, Renehan shows us a young man of great intelligence, moral courage, and truly astonishing physical bravery.
The World Wide Web is loaded with science and science-related material. For everyone who wants to learn more about this amazing resource, Ed Renehan has compiled this fun and informative guide to what's out there, what's interesting, what's new and who's doing it. Whether your interest is in artificial intelligence, Hubble Space Telescope images, or the latest dinosaur findings, the best sources and how to reach them are right here.
Excellent, a truly enjoyable and informative read." - STEVE BUSCEMI, actor/director "Edward Renehan does a great job of shining a light into this dark episode of American history." - BILLY BRAGG "I loved this book ... Bravo!" - JULIE GARFIELD, daughter of blacklisted screen-actor John Garfield "Fascinating, surprising, moving, inspiring." - ARTHUR GOLDWAG, author of THE NEW HATE: A HISTORY OF FEAR AND LOATHING ON THE POPULIST RIGHT Blacklists. Political witch-hunts. Congressional inquisitions. Loyalty oaths. And one brave banjo-wielding patriot willing to risk prison and professional ruin rather than acquiesce ... "Pete [was] blacklisted during the McCarthy era and had a hard time, but he never stopped." - BOB DYLAN "I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked ...." - PETE SEEGER, testifying before the House Select Committee on Un-American Activities, August 1955
In The Lion's Pride, Edward J. Renehan, Jr. vividly portrays the grand idealism, heroic bravery, and reckless abandon that Theodore Roosevelt both embodied and bequeathed to his children and the tragic fulfillment of that legacy on the battlefields of World War I. Drawing upon a wealth of previously unavailable materials, including letters and unpublished memoirs, The Lion's Pride takes us inside what is surely the most extraordinary family ever to occupy the White House. Theodore Roosevelt believed deeply that those who had been blessed with wealth, influence, and education were duty bound to lead, even--perhaps especially--if it meant risking their lives to preserve the ideals of democratic civilization. Teddy put his principles, and his life, to the test in the Spanish American war, and raised his children to believe they could do no less. When America finally entered the "European conflict" in 1917, all four of his sons eagerly enlisted and used their influence not to avoid the front lines but to get there as quickly as possible. Their heroism in France and the Middle East matched their father's at San Juan Hill. All performed with selfless--some said heedless--courage: Two of the boys, Archie and Ted, Jr., were seriously wounded, and Quentin, the youngest, was killed in a dogfight with seven German planes. Thus, the war that Teddy had lobbied for so furiously brought home a grief that broke his heart. He was buried a few months after his youngest child. Filled with the voices of the entire Roosevelt family, The Lion's Pride gives us the most intimate and moving portrait ever published of the fierce bond between Teddy Roosevelt and his remarkable children.
Recruited to help find his notorious Nazi war criminal uncle, Jurgen Enkert confronts his family's dark past ... and an even more sinister present. Excellent, fast-paced, and engaging. - Charles Scribner III A page-turning work of fiction that ... looks into the face of evil without blinking - and finds that it is anything but banal. - Arthur Goldwag, author of The New Hate and Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies.
Jay Gould was the robber baron's robber baron: the greatest financial and business genius of his time and also the most widely hated. He could go head-to-head with the likes of J. P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the U.S. Treasury and almost always outsmart them. Gould was the undisputed master of the nation's railroads and telegraph systems at a time when these were the fastest-growing new technologies of the age. His scheme to corner the gold market in 1869 caused the Black Friday panic. He created new ways of manipulating markets, assembling capital and swallowing his competitors. Many of these methods are now standard practice; others were unique to their circumstances and unrepeatable; others were among the first practices prohibited by the SEC when it came into being in the 1930s.Acclaimed biographer Edward J. Renehan, Jr., recounts the dazzling life story of a figure whose stature in his era outranks that of Bill Gates, in a time when a “corporate takeover battle” was literally a battle, involving not just lawyers and bankers but the buying and selling of judges and occasional confrontations between gangs of armed thugs. Renehan combines lively anecdotes with the rich social tapestry of the Gilded Age to create the first balanced biography of a man who was undoubtedly the greatest financial genius of his age—and one of the inventors of modern business.
In May 1869, the US railroad network unified when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads came together in Promontory, Utah. This book discusses the important milestone in the expansion of the United States and its impact on the nation, both positive and negative.
In 1823, President James Monroe expressed his opinion to Congress that European powers should not be permitted to interfere in the affairs of the sovereign states of the Americas. However, the United States did not follow the terms of its own policy. This work is suitable for students seeking to learn about the specific details behind this policy.
1001 Programming Resources" features key Web sites programmers must visit and shows how to access product descriptions and detailed documentation in minutes. Download sample programs in C/C++, Java, Perl, Visual Basic, and more. The CD-ROM contains programming tools, Java and Perl, an electronic book, and demos.
In Paris, during the spring, summer, and autumn of 1782, three remarkable Americans led the representation of the United States in negotiations that brought an end to the American Revolutionary War. This work offers a curriculum-based look at the people and events behind this extraordinary achievement.
Pope John Paul II led the Catholic Church during a time of great upheaval. During his pontificate (1978-2005), the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall collapsed, and great strides were made for freedom worldwide. This biography follows the arch of the pontiff's life in the context of world politics.
Now users have a passport to the Web's coolest sites, including live video cameras, remote sensors that you real-time traffic flows, weather reports, ocean tide information, and more sites using Hot Java animation. Supporting Windows 95, Windows 3.1, and the Mac, this book/CD-ROM package is VRML-based, with 3-D graphics, and 5-D stereograms. Free connect time with Internet providers and online services.
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