Boss Cox’s Cincinnati: Urban Politics in the Progressive Era

Urban Life and Urban Landscape

by Zane L. Miller, Howard P. Chudacoff

In the late nineteenth century, a new era began in American urban history, characterized by an explosion of both the populations and the proportions of cities, obliterating their traditional social and physical characteristics. Commercial businesses relocated, slums emerged around the core, and new residential areas were established along the periphery. The period was one of extreme disorder—labor and ethnic unrest, election violence, rising crime rates—but it was also a time of political innovation and civic achievement.

In documenting the changes Cincinnati experienced during the Progressive Era, Zane L. Miller provides a clear perspective on the processes of urbanization that transformed the American city. His focus is political because politics provided continuity amid the diversity of city life. The most important aspect of political continuity in Cincinnati and in other cities was "bossism," often depicted as an example of corruption, but which was in many cities part of the quest for a new urban order. In Cincinnati, Boss George B. Cox's machine was a response to the disorder of the times; interestingly, the machine actually helped to control disorder, paving the way for later reforms. Miller carefully explores both the nature and the significance of bossism, showing how it and municipal reform were both essential components of the modern urban political system.

Originally published in 1968, Boss Cox's Cincinnati is considered a classic in the field of urban studies.

Genres: History, Politics, American History

328 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 1980

Reviews

[Ben S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of Ohio (my home state) and questions of urban policy and governance have long been interests of mine. I recently realized that there were books that sat at the intersection of these interests--and started here, with Boss Cox and Cincinnati in the Gilded Age.

Miller is at his best in the first third or so of the book--as he describes a city in crisis. Cincinnati was divided by faith (Protestant/Catholic/Jewish), language (English/German), race (Black/white), and location (the poor "downtown" Basin/the working-middle class outlying neighborhoods/the wealthy "hilltop" suburbs). The interplay of these communities is essential to understanding Cox's machine politics, but it's also just fun historical reading.

Much of the rest of the book is a lengthy description of Cox's political machine. There are lots of names, backroom deals, and hard-fought elections in these pages--but it's only late in the book when the Cox machine is clearly resolving Cincinnati's issues. By then, the machine itself is falling apart.

If your interests run, like mine, into Ohio history, urban politics, or Gilded Age America--then you might really enjoy this book. I couldn't quite get there; the endless discussion of wards and bosses and betrayals grew tiresome to me. But this is certainly an essential read in Cincinnati history, and the casual reader will find plenty of interesting information.

[Jon Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating study of how civic groups and nonprofits attempted to reform a late-Gilded Age industrial city.

[Mike Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having had Professor Miller during my undergrad years I didn't truly appreciate this work. Two re-reads later and I incorporate much of it in my teaching.