Product Description
The story of a man whose Secret Service detail guarded five presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Franklin D. Roosevelt as told to Thomas Surgue by Colonel Edmund W. Starling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The books that get lost along the way
I don't doubt that when this book was released, it garnered a fairly large readership. It's the story of the first director of the Secret Service who protect our President. Starling served through five presidents, from Wilson to Franklin Roosevelt. Actually there are no bloody rescues and Starling doesn't step in front of assorted bullets aimed at a president. But the narrative is interesting and he gives very frank, sometimes surprising observations of the various Commanders in chief. The book is worth reading, if only for that reason. But Starling himself is an interesting individual and you can't help admiring his constant quest for excellence.

See the Presidents behinds the scenes
"This is a delightful book about a Secret Service man who served from Wilson through FDR. He puts a human face on all the Presidents. You see through Starlings' eyes the Presidents as they were in private. You get to see their families and their activities. This book puts a very human face on some Presidents one never gets to see as very human such as Calvin Coolidge. There are several great chapters on Coolidge and you will at times laugh out loud at Coolidge's antics. At times you will be surprised to see the inner Coolidge come out. Starling and Coolidge were fond of each other and their practical jokes played on each other are fun to read about. A excellent book if you want to see the Presidents as they truly were as ppl.

See the Presidents behinds the scenes
"This is a delightful book about a Secret Service man who served from Wilson through FDR. He puts a human face on all the Presidents. You see through Starlings' eyes the Presidents as they were in private. You get to see their families and their activities. This book puts a very human face on some Presidents one never gets to see as very human such as Calvin Coolidge. There are several great chapters on Coolidge and you will at times laugh out loud at Coolidge's antics. At times you will be surprised to see the inner Coolidge come out. Starling and Coolidge were fond of each other and their practical jokes played on each other are fun to read about. A excellent book if you want to see the Presidents as they truly were as ppl.

See the Presidents behind the scenes
"This is a delightful book about a Secret Service man who served from Wilson through FDR. He puts a human face on all the Presidents. You see through Starlings' eyes the Presidents as they were in private.You get to see their families and their activities. This book puts a very human face on some Presidents one never gets to see as very human such as Calvin Coolidge. There are several great chapters on Coolidge and you will at times laugh out loud at Coolidge's antics. At times you will be surprised to see the inner Coolidge come out.Starling and Coolidge were fond of each other and their practical jokes played on each other are fun to read about. A excellent book if you want to see the Presidents as they truly were as ppl.

nice to also see this in paperback (decades later!!)
I somewhat recommend this dated and dry book from the SAIC of the White House Detail during the early part of the 20th Century, Col. Edmund W. Starling. That said, it is also nice to see the very old hardcover in paperback....albeit decades later!!
Vince Palamara-JFK/ Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of two books, in over 40 other author's books, etc.)
Pittsburgh, PA
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Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Dateline 1912- Starts you questioning!
"The Fight For The White House" provides a month by month account of the roads taken by the three presidents who competed for the White House in the pivotal year of 1912.Its journalistic style reflects author Frank K. Kelly's background as a news reporter.Each month has its own chapter which includes sections devoted to William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and a short section headlining notable non-campaign events of the month.

The story begins in January 1912 with William Howard Taft ensconced in the White House, Theodore Roosevelt planning to undue his mistake in putting Taft there and Woodrow Wilson thinking that he might be the man to take advantage of a split in the opposition to take the White House for himself.

As the year goes on, Taft and Roosevelt fight it out for the Republican nomination with TR winning the primaries, Taft holding the professional politicians and a very nasty culmination brewing for the convention in Chicago.Ultimately it was Taft's control of the organization which permitted the defeat of the Roosevelt challenge to contested delegations which lead to Taft's nomination and the bolting of the Progressive wing of the party.TR was later nominated in a hastily summoned Progressive Party convention in Baltimore. Wilson spent the early part of the year in tough and, at times, a seemingly hopeless struggle against House Speaker Champ Clark.It took forty-six ballots but Wilson ultimately prevailed and relished the chance to take on a divided opposition.Throughout this all, Sen. Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin, self-designated progressive leader, stewed and sputtered until he finally threw his support to Wilson.

With the unique slate of nominees chosen (the only time three presidents, past, present and future competed), it was off to the races, at least for TR and Wilson.While they crisscrossed the country trashing each other and Taft, Taft largely remained in the White House and waited for the country to tire of the carnival shows and reward his unruffled dignity.Throughout the summer and fall this three ring circus entertained the country until October when Roosevelt was shot by a third term opponent in Milwaukee.What is less known is that during the same month Wilson's Pullman car was damaged by a run away freight car, leaving Wilson unhurt.How history could have changed that month!

Although poling was unknown, the drift of a Wilson victory became more and more apparent as Election Day approached. Wilson's expected victory materialized and each was left to choose his path for the future.Wilson tried one last legislative initiative as governor of New Jersey before turning his attention to national issues, TR moved the Progressive Party back to the center in an attempt to maintain its vitality while Taft considered his options before accepting an offer to be a law professor at Yale.

In this book, Frank K. Kelly does a great job in telling the story of a most interesting year in our history.Although many of us may know the outlines of the story, this book contains interesting facts which many, certainly including myself, would not have known.Without saying so, he shows how the outcome was not inevitable, how things could have turned out differently and leaves us to ponder the effects any changes would have had on the later history of our country.If TR had won, would our domestic institutions have undergone a more radical change?How would a Roosevelt Administration have affected World War I?How would the survival of the Progressive Party have altered our body politic, for better or worse? If TR and Wilson had both been killed in October, would Taft, as the last survivor, have won and what effect would that have had on our country?Any book which can provoke such questions is one worth reading.
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