Synopses & Reviews
George W. P. Hunt was a highly colorful Arizona politician. A territorial representative and seven-time Arizona state governor, Hunt joined Woodrow Wilson in making the Democratic Party the party of Progressive reform. This political biography follows Hunt through his years in the territorial legislature, and then as governor. Author David R. Bermanandrsquo;s well-researched and detailed work features Huntandrsquo;s battles to stem the powers of large corporations, democratize the political system, defend labor rights, reform the prison system, abolish the death penalty, and protect Arizonaandrsquo;s interests in the Colorado River. He had a special concern for the down and out. He found the andquot;forgotten manandquot; long before Franklin Roosevelt.
Hunt was proof that style and physical appearance neither guarantee nor preclude political success, for the three-hundred-pound man of odd dress and bumbling speech had a political career that spanned the stateandrsquo;s Populism of the 1890s to the 1930s New Deal. Driven by causes, he was very active in public office but took little pleasure in doing the job. Called names by opponents and embarrassed by his lack of formal education, Hunt sometimes showed rage, self-pity, and bitterness at what he saw as betrayals and conspiracies against him.
The author assesses Huntandrsquo;s successes and failings as a political leader and take-charge governor struggling to produce results in a political system hostile to executive authority. Berman offers a nuanced look at Arizonaandrsquo;s first governor, providing an important new understanding of Arizonaandrsquo;s complex political history.
Review
andldquo;Offers a fascinating portrait of a brand of politics that long ago disappeared, at least in Arizona. This will be a cornerstone book for anyone who wants to understand Arizonaandrsquo;s political history.andrdquo;andmdash;Daniel Herman, author of Rim Country Exodus: A Story of Conquest, Renewal, and Race in the Making
Synopsis
George Hunt is the political biography of Arizonaandrsquo;s first elected governor, a nuanced, penetrating portrait of a colorful and controversial man. David Berman has written a well-researched, unvarnished portrayal of a complicated and controversial figure, George W. P. Hunt.
About the Author
David R. Berman is a professor emeritus of political science and a senior research fellow at the Morrison Institute for Public Policy, Arizona State University. His publications include ten books and more than seventy papers, book chapters, and articles on state and local government, politics, and public policy.