Charles Evans Hughes and the Dawning of Modern America

“There may not be a more important, neglected major figure in American political history than Charles Evans Hughes—governor, defeated presidential nominee, secretary of state, and chief justice. Like her subject, Reitano is never boring as she deftly and thoroughly explains Hughes’s wide-ranging accomplishments and revealing limitations.”—Michael McGerr, author of A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870–1920

“It is remarkable that no one before Joanne Reitano has written such a richly contextualized and comprehensive biography of one of the most significant political and judicial figures of the twentieth century. Charles Evans Hughes was a pivotal figure in establishing the modern Supreme Court, and this book admirably acknowledges the importance of his contributions.”—Joel Richard Paul, author of Without Precedent: Chief Justice John Marshall and His Times

“Reitano provides an elegant and concise summary of Hughes’s long, sprawling, and multi-faceted career, a task that is so formidable that nearly all previous biographers have explored only parts of Hughes’s life. Reitano is at home in discussing politics, governance, diplomacy, and constitutional law in ways that make the book useful for scholars and highly accessible to general readers. She relates Hughes’s life to issues that remain important today, while avoiding political polemics or presentism.”—William G. Ross, author of The Chief Justiceship of Charles Evans Hughes, 1930–1941