Buckle up for one of the wildest rides through presidential history! Author Jared Cohen delivers a fast-paced, action-packed, and often mind-blowing book that takes you on a unique and fascinating journey about America’s accidental presidents. You may think you know some of these stories – as I did – but what I learned while reading Accidental Presidents made anything I had learned in the past pale in comparison.
“John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson: Eight times a vice president has become president upon the death of his predecessor – history altered in a heartbeat. This is the story of how these eight men, neither the voters’ nor the party’s choice, dealt with that power and changed history, for better or worse” (xi). With these opening words, Cohen takes us on a historical odyssey filled with scandals, surprises, shocking revelations, and historical anomalies that made my jaw drop more than once as I read about the lives and decisions of these eight men.
Each chapter delves deep into the political machinations that led to the selection of each vice president, the president’s demise, and how each VP handled the transition, either adding to or destroying the legacy of the administration they inherited. Some rose to the occasion, while others either phoned it in or caused lasting damage to the country’s progress.
Which two accidental presidents were involved in a series of events straight out of a Final Destination movie? Which accidental presidents were accused of being part of a conspiracy to kill their predecessor? What accidental president set back civil rights by 100 years due to his actions in office? Which president’s cause of death was initially bad crab meat? What accidental president was so unremarkable that no one even knew he was the vice president of the U.S.? What president suffered head trauma from an elevator door?
These wild stories and many more can be found within the pages of this amazing book.
Two constant themes from the first transition to the last were the lack of Constitutional clarity regarding the line of succession if the President of the United States died, and the difficulty of contacting most vice presidents when needed. Even with technological evolution, this remained a major problem.
We’re also treated to a mind-boggling final chapter, “Close Calls,” that provides a wild list of assassination attempts on a myriad presidents over the centuries. How these were treated by each administration was also baffling and really calls into question some of the choices being made to protect the commander-in-chief.
What I loved about Accidental Presidents is the amount of information and trivia contained within its pages. There is never a dull moment; each chapter and section overflows with one fascinating true story after the next. The book has made me want to dig further into the worlds of each accidental president, their scandals, choices, and impact on America today.
I loved this book! Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America by Jared Cohen is a strong recommendation and a book I’ll be revisiting again.