The Forgotten Presidents

Keith E. Whittington, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics, Princeton University The Forgotten Presidents run the gamut, from the truly important like Grover Cleveland to the truly forgettable like William Henry Harrison. But in recovering these stories, Michael Gerhardt reminds us that every president leaves a trace. The occupants of the highest office exercised power to reshape the nation they inherited, and in doing so they all sparked constitutional debates and transformed the constitutional landscape. Even our forgotten presidents helped shape the world we live in; a lesson worth remembering today.

Michael C. Dorf, Robert S. Stevens Professor, Cornell University Law School Forgotten but not gone. In these captivating stories, Professor Gerhardt shows how even our lesser presidents shaped the constitutional order and the political world that 21st century Americans inhabit.

Michael Gerhardt is Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. A nationally recognized authority on constitutional conflicts, he has testified in several Supreme Court confirmation hearings, and has published five books, including ThePower of Precedent.

Table of Contents ; Introduction ; Acknowledgments ; Table of Recurrent Themes ; Chapter 1: Martin Van Buren ; Chapter 2: William Henry Harrison ; Chapter 3: John Tyler ; Chapter 4: Zachary Taylor ; Chapter 5: Millard Fillmore ; Chapter 6: Franklin Pierce ; Chapter 7: Chester Arthur ; Chapter 8: Grover Cleveland ; Chapter 9: Benjamin Harrison ; Chapter 10: Grover Cleveland ; Chapter 11: William Howard Taft ; Chapter 12: Calvin Coolidge ; Chapter 13: Jimmy Carter ; Conclusion ; Bibliographical Essay ; Appendix ; End Notes ; Index