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Book Summary and Reviews of The Last Founding Father by Harlow Unger

The Last Founding Father by Harlow Unger

The Last Founding Father

James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness

by Harlow Unger

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  • Sep 2009, 400 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

In this lively and compelling biography Harlow Giles Unger reveals the dominant political figure of a generation. A fierce fighter in four critical Revolutionary War battles and a courageous survivor of Valley Forge and a near-fatal wound at the Battle of Trenton, James Monroe (1751–1831) went on to become America’s first full-time politician, dedicating his life to securing America’s national and international durability

Decorated by George Washington for his exploits as a soldier, Monroe became a congressman, a senator, U.S. minister to France and Britain, governor of Virginia, secretary of state, secretary of war, and finally America’s fifth president. The country embraced Monroe’s dreams of empire and elected him to two terms, the second time unanimously. Mentored by each of America’s first four presidents, Monroe was unquestionably the best prepared president in our history.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"[[A] well-written biography... Unger's work will appeal to a more popular audience, especially those who enjoy presidential history or studying the Founding Fathers." - Library Journal

"A worthy attempt to rescue Monroe from obscurity for a mainstream audience." - Kirkus Reviews

This information about The Last Founding Father was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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More Information

A veteran journalist, broadcaster, educator, and historian, Harlow Giles Unger is the author of fifteen books, including four biographies of America’s Founding Fathers. He was recently named the 2008 Distinguished Visiting Fellow in American History at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.

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