Evans C. Johnson (1922–1998)

4222 Oscar W. Underwood A Political Biography, by Evans C. Johnson (read 25 Oct 2006) This is a 1980 title in the "Southern Biography Series" and like most of the books in that series I have read it is good. Underwood was born May 6, 1862, in Louisville, Ky., and grew up in St. Paul, Minn. After being admitted to the bar he practiced two years in St. Paul and then went to Birmingham, Alabama. In 1894 he was elected to Congress but in a Republican Congress lost a contest and was unseated on June 9, 1896, but was reelected and served in the House until 1915, becoming Democratic leader in 1911. He sought the Democratic nomination for president in 1912. In 1914 he was elected U.S. Senator and served two terms, again becoming Democratic leader. This book is carefully if somewhat unimaginatively researched, and is consistently interesting except when dealing with Underwood's early years in the House. The accounts of the 1912 and 1924 Conventions are good as are the accounts of his 1914 and 1920 campaigns for the Senate. Underwood became a household name in 1924 when 103 ballots at the 1924 Democratic Convention began with the booming announcement: "Alabama casts 24 votes for Oscar W. Underwood." Anyone interested in the politics of the years from the 1890s to the 1920s will find this a worth reading book.… (mer)