About the Author
Stephen Hess is a senior fellow emeritus in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution. He served on White House staff during Eisenhower and Nixon presidencies and as advisor to Presidents Ford and Carter. Hess also was distinguished research professor of media and public affairs at the George Washington University. His other books include “The Professor and the President: Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the Nixon White House.”
Learn more about Stephen Hess »
Book Details
800 pages
Brookings Institution Press, 2015
Hardcover: $38.00
ISBN: 978-0-8157-2708-8
Ebook: $30.00
ISBN: 978-0-8157-2710-1
On sale November 16, 2015
Order through Brookings
Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton—the 2016 presidential election is coming up and already the talk is about two of the biggest names in American political history. Coming fall 2015 is the book that tells you everything you need to know about these two powerhouse families, and the rest of America’s political dynasties.
America was founded in rebellion against nobility and inherited status. Yet from the start, dynastic families have been conspicuous in national politics. The Adamses. The Lodges. The Tafts. The Roosevelts. The Kennedys, and today the Bushes and the Clintons. In America’s Political Dynasties, longtime presidential historian Stephen Hess offers an encyclopedic tour of the families that have loomed large over America’s political history. With a look toward the future, he tells stories of the Bushes and what looks to be a political dynasty in waiting, the Clintons.
Hess fills the pages with anecdotes and personality-filled stories of the families who have given the United States more than a fair share of its presidents, senators, governors, ambassadors, and cabinet members.
Reviews & Related Articles:
Bush-Clinton ‘dynasty’ buzz looks to baby Charlotte, George P.
Washington Examiner, November 2, 2015
All in the family: For Hillary and Jeb, 4 tips on dynasty politics
USA Today, June 11, 2015
American politics? They’ve become a family affair
Macleans, May 28, 2015
America’s political royalty
Christian Science Monitor, March 22, 2015
America’s top 10 political families
Christian Science Monitor, March 22, 2015
Interactive:
Explore an interactive ranking of the top ten political dynasties in America
Interviews:
Power, Murder, Profit: Great New Book on 17 American Dynasties
POTUS Press Pool, November 5, 2015
Brookings Book Club featuring a conversation with Cokie Roberts
Brookings Now, October 30, 2015
America’s Political Dynasties, from Adams to Bush to Clinton
The Exchange, New Hampshire Public Radio, October 21, 2015
Political Dynasties in America
All Sides with Ann Fisher, August 20, 2015
Blogs:
The Nixon Sightings, Part V: The Goodbye 1972
Brookings FixGov Blog, December 19, 2014
The Nixon Sightings, Part IV: Lincoln Week 1965
Brookings FixGov Blog, December 18, 2014
The Nixon Sightings, Part III: November 22, 1963
Brookings FixGov Blog, December 17, 2014
The Nixon Sightings, Part II: The 1960 Campaign
Brookings FixGov Blog, December 16, 2014
The Nixon Sightings, Part I: The 1952 Republican Convention
Brookings FixGov Blog, December 15, 2014
