I NEVER DID LIKE POLITICS

A biography of one of America’s greatest mayors.

Fiorello La Guardia (1882-1947) governed New York from 1934 to 1945. As Golway, author of Frank and Al, relates, perhaps the most intriguing fact about his career—during which he opposed immigration restriction, denounced racism, and supported measures to create a social safety net for the poor—is that he was a Republican. Son of an immigrant Army musician and warrant officer, La Guardia tried unsuccessfully to enlist during the Spanish-American War, served in two European U.S. consulates from 1901 to 1906, and then worked as an Ellis Island interpreter from 1907 to 1910. He hated corrupt Tammany Hall, and his charisma and appeal to minorities won him elections in formerly Democratic districts. From 1923 to 1933, he became a national figure in the House of Representatives, where he sided with reformers and progressives. During the 1933 mayoral race, Franklin Roosevelt viewed La Guardia as “a potential across-the-aisle ally.” Golway emphasizes that La Guardia had a more difficult job than FDR when he took office. New York was nearly bankrupt, and it lacked the financial flexibility of the federal government. “He would have to cut jobs, at a time of mass unemployment,” writes the author. “He would have to reduce services at a time when people needed them as never before.” In the final 100 pages, Golway reveals La Guardia’s secrets to success. Contemporaries extolled his energy and sympathy for the poor, but historians often emphasize his relations with FDR, a calculating politician who was especially generous to supporters. New Deal aid paid for much of the housing, parks, infrastructure, and relief that the mayor wanted. When he died, “he left behind eight thousand dollars’ worth of war bonds and a mortgaged home in the Bronx”—and a great legacy.

A suitably admiring biography of an admirable politician.