House of Diggs - (Justice, Power, and Politics) by Marion Orr

Book Synopsis

At the height of the civil rights movement, Charles C. Diggs Jr. (1922-1998) was the consummate power broker. In a political career spanning 1951 to 1980, Diggs, Michigan's first Black member of Congress, was the only federal official to attend the trial of Emmett Till's killers, worked behind the scenes with Martin Luther King Jr., and founded the Congressional Black Caucus. He was also the chief architect of legislation that restored home rule to Washington, DC, and almost single-handedly ignited the American anti-apartheid movement in the 1960s. Drawing on extensive archival research, including Diggs's rarely seen personal papers, FBI documents, and original interviews with family members and political associates, political scientist Marion Orr reveals that Diggs practiced a politics of strategic moderation. Orr argues that this quiet approach was more effective than the militant race politics practiced by Adam Clayton Powell and more appealing than the conservative Chicago-style approach of William Dawson--two of Diggs's better-known Black contemporaries.

Vividly written and deeply researched, House of Diggs is the first biography of Congressman Charles C. Diggs Jr., one of the most consequential Black federal legislators in US history. Congressman Diggs was a legislative lion whose unfortunate downfall punctuated his distinguished career and pushed him and his historic accomplishments out of sight. Now, for the first time, House of Diggs restores him to his much-deserved place in the history of American politics.

Review Quotes

"Orr's research and writing provide a rounded perspective of a complex man, his origins, and the influences that formed his character. While this is a work of history, it's also a tragedy in the Shakespearean sense."--California Review of Books

"House of Diggs is definitely among the finest biographies of a Congress member that I have read in many years. Professor Orr explains Congressman Diggs's personal and political lives, while also resurrecting memories of many of his subject's largely long-forgotten Congressional colleagues. He has crafted a splendid addition to the literature on Congress."--Richard R. Valcourt, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence

"A moving encounter with a flawed man and a gifted politician, as charming and personable as he was motivated and organized, seemingly capable of anything. His achievements are so many and varied as to defy listing. Simply, Diggs was a powerhouse."--Providence Eye

"The first biography of Michigan's first Black Congressman Charles C. Diggs Jr., one of the most consequential Black federal legislators in US history. Along with Congressman Rangel, he helped found the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), a caucus that continues to serve as the moral compass of Congress."--Amsterdam News

"A rewarding portrait of Diggs's career as a civil-rights activist and legislator in [Marion Orr's] exhaustively researched biography. . . . [A]stutely portrays how Diggs's personal failures and weaknesses counterbalanced his impressive professional strengths and prematurely ended a career of no little significance."--David Garrow, Wall Street Journal

"A very strong political biography and a worthy addition to my library about the Civil Rights movement. . . . I highly recommend taking a look."--Infinite Free Time

"The definitive biography of the civil rights legislator we never should have forgotten. This book will change our collective understanding of Charles C. Diggs Jr., the civil rights era, and the political battles we're still fighting today."--Van Jones, CNN host and New York Times best-selling author

"An unmatched and wonderfully complex exploration of Charles Diggs Jr. Marion Orr has probed, explored, and added a great deal to our understanding of many different areas of politics."--Dianne Pinderhughes, coauthor of Contested Transformation: Race, Gender, and Political Leadership in 21st Century America

"Engaging, essential, and meticulously researched. Marion Orr reveals Rep. Charles C. Diggs Jr.'s pivotal role in the civil rights movement at a time when Black politics shifted 'from protest to elections.' House of Diggs details how Congressman Diggs's dogged persistence and a strategically moderate approach to building coalitions changed the landscape of segregated America."--Tamara Payne, Pulitzer Prize-winning coauthor of The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X

"The best full-scale assessment of Diggs's remarkable career that I know of. House of Diggs provocatively and compellingly demonstrates Marion Orr's claim that no other Black member of Congress can match the tangible impact of Diggs's life and work."--Waldo E. Martin Jr., author of No Coward Soldiers: Black Cultural Politics in Postwar America

About the Author