First published 2009
Sandra Day O'Connor explores the legal careers that shaped America's commander-in-chiefs. She traces how twenty-five presidents practiced law before taking office, from John Adams who spent twenty years in practice while helping write the nation's founding documents, to Barack Obama whose election sparked comparisons to Lincoln. O'Connor reveals Lincoln's quarter-century career handling over 5,100 cases, John Quincy Adams arguing before the Supreme Court both before and after his presidency, and presidents like Hayes and Harrison taking on murder trials that captivated the public. Eight of these lawyer-presidents later appeared as counsel before the nation's highest court. O'Connor demonstrates how courtroom experience influenced presidential decision-making and leadership style, connecting legal practice to executive power across American history.
Genres: biography, history, law, american-history
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: non-fiction
Setting: America
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century, 21st-century
392 pages · Paperback · Northwestern University Press