Window on Congress
Subtitle: a congressional biography of Barber B. Conable, Jr.
By: James S. Fleming.
Publisher: University of Rochester Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Rochester, N.Y
Language: eng
Number of pages: 429
Subjects: Conable, Barber B.; United States. Congress. House -- Biography.; Legislators -- United States -- Biography.; United States -- Politics and government -- 1945-1989.
Genres: Biography.
Description: "Barber B. Conable Jr. served as a Republican congressman from western New York from 1965 to 1985. He is recognized as one of the most respected members of the House of Representatives in recent years. This biography explores his twenty-year congressional career, focusing on his educational abilities as a teacher-legislator. Using excerpts from Conable's private journal, his newsletters and news columns, and from personal interviews, James S. Fleming has crafted a book that enables readers to appreciate why Conable was held in high regard by his constituents, his colleagues, the press, and congressional scholars. Political scientist Charles O. Jones expressed the opinion of many when he observed that "Barber Conable was just about everybody's idea of what a congressman should be."" "Recognizing the importance of Conable's western New York heritage, James S. Fleming traces Conable's story from his childhood in Warsaw, New York to his election to the historic Eighty-ninth Congress of 1965-1966. Fleming's chronicle of Conable's subsequent legislative career offers a window on Congress and on an historic period in American history. As the fourth-ranking Republican leader in the House, Conable played a critical role in the Watergate investigation that led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. As the ranking Republican leader of the Ways and Means Committee, he was a key contributor to the tax legislation passed during the Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations. The highlight of his legislative career was his crucial work in solving the 1983 Social Security crisis. Fleming concludes the biography with a look at Conable's service as World Bank President and his retirement to his western New York home."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [285]-416) and index.
Table of contents: title: Roots in western New York; title: Becoming a lawyer and politician; title: Mr. Conable goes to Albany; title: A freshman in the Eighty-Ninth Congress; title: Appointment to the Ways and Means Committee; title: Support for Richard Nixon; title: The Watergate betrayal; title: Toughest reelection; title: A friend in the White House; title: Republican leader of Ways and Means; title: Cutting taxes; title: Saving Social Security; title: Concluding a congressional career; title: Life after Congress.