Claude Bowers was a man from modest beginnings whose passions and talents led him to positions of prestige and influence as a journalist, orator, political advisor, historian, and diplomat. He tirelessly pursued the causes of populism, progressivism, and the New Deal, and quickly moved to a prominent place within the Democratic political establishment. He consorted with such important political figures as the Roosevelts, the Kennedys, Robert Wagner, Cordell Hull, and Eugene Debs. His political connections, and his interest in international politics, led to a six-year appointment as ambassador to Spain followed by a 14-year stint as ambassador to Chile. Bowers's interests and influence were not limited to politics. His biography of Thomas Jefferson and his history of Reconstruction were highly regarded and widely read. Bowers counted among his friends Ernest Hemingway and Theodore Dreiser. Sehlinger and Hamilton have skillfully woven the events of Bowers's eventful life into an engaging narrative which illuminates his ideals, ambitions, talents, and limitations.

Holman Hamilton (1910-1980) was professor of history at the University of Kentucky and president of the Southern Historical Association.