Description

An epic and intimate David M Kennedy portrait of four generations of the Morgenthau family a dynasty of power brokers and public officials with an outsizeand previously unmappedinfluence extending from daily life in New York City to the shaping of the American Century

Magisterial a vivid retelling of critical domestic and world events over two centuriesDr Fiona Hill

After coming to America from Germany in 1866 the Morgenthaus made history in international diplomacy in domestic politics and in Americas criminal justice system With unprecedented exclusive access to family archives awardwinning journalist and biographer Andrew Meier vividly chronicles how the Morgenthaus amassed a fortune in Manhattan real estate advised presidents advanced the New Deal exposed the Armenian genocide rescued victims of the Holocaust waged war in the Mediterranean and Pacific and from a foundation of private wealth built a dynasty of public service In the words of former mayor Ed Koch they were the closest weve got to royalty in New York City

Lazarus Morgenthau arrived in America dreaming of rebuilding the fortune he had lost in his homeland He ultimately died destitute but the family would rise again with the ascendance of Henry who became a wealthy and powerful real estate baron From there the Morgenthaus went on to influence the most consequential presidency of the twentieth century as Henrys son Henry Jr became FDRs longestserving aide his Treasury secretary during the war and his confidant of thirty years Finally there was Robert Morgenthau a decorated World War II hero who would become the longesttenured district attorney in the history of New York City Known as the DA for life he oversaw the most consequential and controversial prosecutions in New York of the last fifty years from the war on the Mafia to the infamous Central Park Jogger case

The saga of the Morgenthaus has lain half hidden in the shadows for too long At heart a family history Morgenthau is also an American epic as sprawling and surprising as the country itself

This audiobook editionincludes a downloadable PDF that contains images from the book