Books by Donald A. Ritchie

In a lively study of the people who covered Congress in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Donald Ritchie profiles many writers who, like Greeley, found the Washington scene alluring and disorienting. Despite adversarial rhetoric and mutual suspicion, close personal relationships have long flourished between members of Congress and the press.

With the landmark election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932, decades of Republican ascendancy gave way to a half century of Democratic dominance. This book examines the 1932 presidential election that ushered in the New Deal. It looks at how candidates responded to the nation's economic crisis and how voters evaluated their performance.