Conservative Heroes: Fourteen Leaders Who Shaped America, from Jefferson to Reagan

by Garland S. Tucker III

“A wonderful book.” — Fred Barnes “Reserves a special place for Tucker in the pantheon of political authors.” — National Review Online “Many readers resent the narrowness standard histories offer. They will welcome Conservative Heroes , which so thoughtfully draws out the full picture.” — Amity Shlaes “A missing history of conservatism.” — The American Conservative “A very accessible account of what American conservatism is, and has done.” — Chronicles Conservatism in America, as one early-twentieth-century politician said, is “as old as the Republic itself.” But what are its foundational principles, and how did they form the modern conservative movement? Author Garland S. Tucker III tells the story in this lively look at fourteen champions of conservative thought—some well known, others hardly remembered at all. Taking readers on an exciting tour from the American Founding to the modern era, Tucker traces the development of conservatism’s basic tenets and shows how leaders put principle into action (some more successfully than others). Conservative Heroes offers brief but penetrating profiles Here is the story of American conservatism in fourteen lives—a story we need to understand to tackle the challenges we face today.

Genres: Politics

224 pages, Hardcover

First published June 9, 2015

About the author

Garland S. Tucker III is the author of The High Tide of American Conservatism: Davis, Coolidge, and the 1924 Election. He has written for National Review, the Washington Times, and other leading publications, and he is a frequent media guest who has appeared on major radio programs locally and nationally, as well as on television networks such as MSNBC and C-SPAN. Tucker serves as chairman and CEO of Triangle Capital Corporation, a publicly traded specialty finance company located in Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Washington and Lee University and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. A former member of the New York Stock Exchange, Tucker serves on the boards of a number of companies, schools, and charitable organizations.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

6/21/15: Will this NC business leader and amateur historian help me better understand the mind of a conservative?

Can Mr. Tucker help me understand why the NC Senate is proposing to cut the personal income tax rate - the state's major revenue source - and further cut corporate tax rates while adding taxes on veterinary bills, car repair bills, and movie tickets? Will he help me understand why these same conservatives are proposing to cut 5,000 to 9,000 teacher assistant jobs (which, not incidentally, is my job)? Stay tuned...

6/23/15: Upon finishing this book I do better understand the mind of today's conservative, certainly one from the south.

Mr. Tucker believes historical writing has been overly influenced by liberal writers so he, CEO of Triangle Capital Corp (2014 earnings: $2.8 M) and supporter of Scott Walker, decided to write about his heroes who fought "progressivism."

He is not a fan of the two Roosevelts but instead celebrates Nathaniel Macon (the father of the states' rights movement and an opponent of the U.S. Constitution because of its ability to emancipate slaves), Josiah Bailey (who filibustered a 1938 anti-lynching bill because it imposed "the national will upon us with respect to the Negro"), and Calvin Coolidge (whose tax cuts for the wealthy and failure to aid 5,000+ rural banks hastened the Great Depression).

Again and again, Mr. Tucker praises his heroes for their opposition to regulation, taxation, and the federal government, even if his heroes stood firmly on the wrong side of history.

[The American Conservative]

"I confess: when I received my review copy of Garland Tucker’s Conservative Heroes, all I could think was, been there, done that. Having endured my share of collections that outwardly resemble Tucker’s book, I am drearily familiar with the genre: commonplace, conventional, and generally inoffensive historical figures, of the sort all right-thinking people are expected to admire, are solemnly commended to the reader as model conservatives.

That’s why Tucker’s book came as such a pleasant surprise: here are plenty of figures—from Nathaniel Macon and John Randolph of Roanoke to John C. Calhoun and Robert Taft—who play rather a minor role, or are actually cast as villains, in the neoconservative version of American history."

http://www.theamericanconservative.co...

[Andrea Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fight against Progressive ideas has been a battle since the Founders wrote the Constitution. The author discussed the 25 year 'love affair' America has with Progressive presidents. He explains how historians shape and alter the understanding of our politics and history and shares examples of progressive historians, and politicians who undermined the principles of Natural Law the Founders secured for us. Amazing book! Along side two of Hillsdale College's free online video lectures The Constitution 101 and Congress, How It Worked and Why It Doesn't these three complete the picture of the war against the Constitutional freedom we enjoy even as it's eroded by political leaders and historians and presidents.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice profile of conservative politicians (including Democrats and Republicans) since the Founders’ era. I’m fairly well read in U.S. history, but this book taught me more about conservatives I didn’t know much about, such as Josiah Bailey, John W. Davis, and Robert A. Taft. It also shows how liberals/progressives and conservatives fluctuate in power from generation to generation. The book was well-researched and written without a too-subjective tone, allowing you to make your own value judgments about the principles.

[Melsene G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent history book-and one of the best I've read in recent months. This should be required reading for history classes. The book begins with founders Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and concludes with the triumvirate of William F. Buckley, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan. There were a few heroes whom I was unfamiliar with-some were conservative democrats of old-in another time and place for sure.

Born after the Goldwater craze took place, I enjoyed learning a little about him. I have to say that conservative principles are timeless-and the issues that we're facing today were faced by others in the past. History repeats itself-people are people-it's the human condition.

The author does a fantastic job-it's easy to get through and you will learn a great deal-even if you are a well read conservative!

[Darlene Ferland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A big thank you to the Carol Mann Agency for this First-Reads book. As a life-long student of history, this read was enlightening. Written in the manner of John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage, Garland S. Tucker ties the Founding Fathers beliefs in with the progression of our history through fourteen celebrated and some forgotten politicans and Presidents. These men were conservatives and conservatism began in American politics with Jefferson, Madison and Adams. Thus the quote that conservatism is 'as old as the Republic itself' resonates throughout the book and history. I think this book should be on high school and college book shelves in every state!

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much about what conservationism looks like and what strong leaders are like. I enjoyed the history and realized that the some of the things that are happening now are not new; they have happened before and probably will again. This book is well written and easy to understand the ideas presented. I highly recommend this book.