The Raising of a President; The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders

New York: Atria Books, 2004. Advance Uncorrected Proofs. Wraps. Good. [2], ix, [3], 512, [2] pages. Chronological List of the President's parents. Appendices, Notes. Bibliography. Front cover has damaged sticker and a one to two inch edge tear. Roy Douglas "Doug" Wead (born May, 1946) is a conservative commentator and writer. He has authored several books, some of which have made the New York Times bestsellers. In 1992, Wead was the Republican candidate for Arizona's 6th congressional district, but was defeated. He served as special assistant to U.S. president George H. W. Bush. Wead was an active participant in the 2000 United States presidential election, receiving some credit for George W. Bush's victory in the Iowa straw polls of 1999. Time magazine called Wead an insider in the Bush family orbit and "the man who coined the phrase 'compassionate conservative.'" George W. Bush first picked up the term "compassionate conservative" in 1987 from Wead. In 1979, Wead gave a speech titled "The Compassionate Conservative" at the annual Charity Awards Dinner, and tapes of the speech were later sold at corporate seminars. Wead was a senior adviser to the Ron Paul 2012 Campaign, and the Rand Paul 2016 campaign. ""God bless my mother, all I am or ever hope to be I owe to her." -- Abraham Lincoln. "What are the family circumstances that have created our presidents? How did their upbringing shape their future and ours? New York Times bestselling author Doug Wead answers these questions in one of the most comprehensive studies of presidential families to date. When one thinks about the leadership qualities of George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt or the intellectual prowess of John Adams and Abraham Lincoln, it is hard to imagine them as children. It is even more difficult to envision the parents of our leaders, especially the larger-than-life idols of our political past. Our greatest presidents have entered the Oval Office armed with overwhelming ambition, intellect, and political savvy. But were these characteristics evident in childhood? "The Raising of a President" is a groundbreaking look at the parents of the American presidents, full of never-before-seen facts and anecdotes, as well as psychological profiles based on Wead's findings. He analyzes the types of families into which our presidents were born, and sheds a fascinating light on how their destinies were shaped during childhood. Using countless presidential correspondences and letters, as well as notes from hours of his own private conversations and interviews with six presidents and first ladies, Wead focuses specifically on the early life of our first president, George Washington; John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and the making of our nation's first political empire; the humble beginnings of our greatest president, Abraham Lincoln; the privileged upbringing of Franklin Delano Roosevelt; the ambitious rise of John Fitzgerald Kennedy; and the "quiet dynasty" led by George H. W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush. Throughout "The Raising of a President," readers will find that the circumstances and events that would destroy most children were often the very things that sparked their character development.