This first full-length biography of Alton Brooks Parker provides an in-depth look into the life, career, and legacy of one of the most important New Yorkers of the Gilded Age. Parker had the courage to challenge Theodore Roosevelt for the presidency in 1904—at the height of Roosevelt’s popularity—and was a transition point between the conservative and the new, progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Based on new archival research, this book contributes to our understanding of how political campaigns were conducted during the Gilded Age/Progressive Era, in comparison to modern campaigns. It also provides insights into the changing Democratic Party as it transformed from the presidency of Grover Cleveland to the presidencies of Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Character assassination in presidential politics is as American as apple pie. Anything for a Vote is a candid look at 200+ years of dirty tricks and bad behaviour in presidential elections, from John Adams to the present day.These bizarre-but-true anecdotes from American history are whimsically illustrated, showing the presidents at their (alleged) worst.

Complete with headnotes, summaries of decisions, statements of cases, points and authorities of counsel, annotations, tables, and parallel references.