Horace White, the Reporter who brought Abraham Lincoln to National Prominence
Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I admire Horace White, born August 10th 1834. After graduating from college in Wisconsin, he edited a Chicago newspaper. The anti-slavery activist volunteered for an organization that provisioned pro-freedom settlers in Kansas.
White reported on the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. Friendship with Abraham Lincoln began when they met on the campaign trail. His articles in the Chicago Tribune helped make the Republican candidate nationally prominent:
"Progressing with his theme, his words began to come faster and his face to light up with the rays of genius and his body to move in unison with his thoughts. His gestures were made with his body and head rather than with his arms. They were the natural expression of the man, and so perfectly adapted to what he was saying that anything different from it would have been quite inconceivable. Sometimes his manner was very impassioned, and he seemed transfigured with his subject."
"The tremendous directness which he always gave to his utterances on those occasions when he rose to impassioned eloquence. I have never head his equal, and I believe I have listened at times to nearly all the public speakers of considerable reputation in this country."
In a letter to his friend, White predicted great things:
"I don't think it possible for you to feel more disappointed than I do, with this defeat, but your popular majority in the state will give us the privilege of naming our man on the national ticket in 1860 — either President or Vice President. Let me assure you, Abe Lincoln shall be an honored name before the American people. You have risen to a national reputation and position more rapidly than any other man who ever rose at all."
During the Civil War, he worked for the Senate Committee on Military Affairs and then the War Department. This was followed by stints at The New York Evening Post and The Nation. White garnered a reputation for financial expertise.
Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of theirs. For more information, see www.grandoldpartisan.com.
Here is a TikTok Video about this article.
Here is my Substack about this article.
Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement.
Each day, his YouTube videos and TikTok videos and Rumble videos and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states.
Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision.
"This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!"
"Your book is a national treasure. I'm always recommending it."
"Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP."
"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan."
"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before."
and
"one of the best books I ever read"
Comments
Post a Comment