Washington's Circle: The Creation of the President

(Paperback)

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History buffs will rejoice at this splendid Team of Rivals-style group biography of the nation's first president and the men who served with him, who together created the office of the presidency that we know today. George Washington was a singular, often aloof man who sought out the counsel of a few, trusted men to help him share his task of governing the new nation. In Washington's Circle, David and Jeanne Heidler introduce not just the president but the group of extraordinary men who advised him. The familiar names are here like the often irked and occasionally irksome John Adams, the scheming Alexander Hamilton, and the prodigiously talented James "Jemmy" Madison, but so are the lesser known Edmund Randolph, John Jay, and Gouverneur Morris. Washington's choices of whom to listen to, for better and sometimes worse, were as consequential as the advice his cabinet gave. It is a story of give and take-between Washington and Congress, these men confronted questions, including the limits of executive power, that continue to raise debates today. Washington's Circle is a stunning group portrait of the pioneers who laid the foundations of our government and first put them to the test.

Reviews

A fine, readable history of the first presidency . . . [David and Jeanne Heidler] provide not only a lively history but a group portrait of Washington and the various figures vying to influence him.The Wall Street Journal

Washingtons Circle positively glows with narrative exuberance. This is a book that will make even the most jaded student of the American Revolution bark little laughs of pure delight while reading. . . . Its a stunning achievement to make serious history read as thrillingly as this.Open Letters Monthly

[A] meticulously researched book, filled with beautiful prose and lyrical passages.FredericksburgFree LanceStar

Highly recommended.Library Journal

Traditional accounts portray George Washington as a solitary actor in the drama of American nationhood, as chilly and featureless as the marble shaft that dominates his namesake capitol. In fact, he was the intensely human lead in one of historys most colorful, and contentious, ensembles. David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler bring the whole cast to unforgettable life in this character studycumgroup portraitcumold-fashioned page-turner. Readers are in for a treat!Richard Norton Smith, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of On His Own Terms: A Life of Nelson Rockefeller

Washingtons Circle opens a window onto George Washingtons presidency. By profiling those closest to the president, and chronicling the advice they gave the chief executive, David Heidler and Jeanne Heidler have written an admirable history of the nations first presidential administration. In showing who Washington listened to, and how at times he was steered by his advisers, the Heidlers disclose the sources of Washingtons most important decisions. Written with grace and verve, Washingtons Circle is both good history and a good read.John Ferling, author of Jefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry That Forged a Nation and Whirlwind: The American Revolution and the War That Won It

George Washington was the outstanding man of his age, but though he may have been a rock he was no island. Throughout his life he depended on a select circle of family and friends to support and advise him through the many challenges he faced. Never were these relationships more important than during Washingtons two terms as president of the United States. David and Jeanne Heidler do a superb job of illuminating the remarkable group of talented individuals who undertook an equally remarkable collaboration to found the United States.Edward G. Lengel, author of General George Washington: A Military Life and director, The Papers of George Washington, University of Virginia

Although many prefer the Founders story to be one of soaring ideas, early American politics was really about the strained relationships that subsisted among those who either held or sought power. Washingtons Circle cuts to the chase, that is, the chase for access to the first president, whose political persona revolved around deference and decorum. If an imperfect man, he aimed to honor the Constitutions call for a separation of powers when other more restless, irritable men were pulling the country in several directions at once.Andrew Burstein and Nancy Isenberg, co-authors of Madison and Jefferson

An elegant study on the shaping of the first presidency through the excellent people he chose to serve with him. The Heidlers . . . create a fully fleshed portrait of the first great Founder by comparison to and contrast with the many complicated personalities he had around him. . . . [A] fluid work of historical research and engaging biography.Kirkus Reviews

Author Bio

DAVID S. HEIDLER and JEANNE T. HEIDLER have written numerous scholarly books and articles dealing with the history of the early American republic, the Antebellum period, and the Civil War. They are the authors of the acclaimed biography Henry Clay- The Essential American. David is associated with the Department of History at Colorado State University-Pueblo, and Jeanne is a professor of history at the United States Air Force Academy, where she is the senior civilian member of her department.