Whistle-Stop Politics - by Edward Segal (Hardcover)

About the Book

How campaign trains impacted American politics, elections, journalism, and culture.

Book Synopsis

Discover the entertaining story of how campaigning by train shaped American politics, elections, journalism, and culture in Whistle-Stop Politics.

Memories of the pivotal role campaign trains played in American elections fade with the passing of each generation. Also forgotten are the stories documented by the reporters who traveled with hundreds of whistle-stopping politicians, including Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan.

The trains were the backdrop of political drama, intrigue, humor, and triumph for more than 185 years. Campaign trains were an American invention that enabled politicians to connect with as many voters as possible in the country's largest cities and smallest towns.

Foreword by Jules Witcover, veteran Washington correspondent, award-winning reporter, former political columnist for the Baltimore Sun, and author of 85 Days: The Last Campaign of Robert Kennedy.

Filled with engaging anecdotes and striking images, this book is an exciting journey back into America's political past, opening new windows into the personalities and political campaigns that shaped our history.

Review Quotes

"In fifty-two years of journalism, I never knew what it was like to travel on a campaign train or bus-until Whistle-Stop Politics. Reading it, I now feel as if I had had those experiences-the history, the drama, the proximity, the uncertainty, the photos, even the old cartoons. A great job by Edward Segal." -Bob Woodward, associate editor of the Washington Post and author of fifteen No. 1 New York Times bestselling books

"Whistle-Stop Politics is a great read! Especially for anyone who loves history and old-fashioned politics. Author Edward Segal takes us back to what pure politics and campaigning used to be." -Jeff Pegues, former chief national affairs and justice correspondent for CBS News and former host of the America: Changed Forever podcast

"Whistle-Stop Politics is a one-of-a-kind book about politicians and train travel. It reflects the author's love for a mostly bygone era, and it succeeds because of the many anecdotes he has collected from the politicians themselves and the journalists who covered them. White House reporter Merriman Smith once toppled from a train, straining to judge the size of a crowd for Truman. Columnist Mary McGrory claimed Nixon's secretary Rose Mary Woods tried to pour a glass of Scotch down her back for failing to rise sufficiently high to greet her boss. 'The Yellow Rose of Texas' meant LBJ would soon start speaking, and when Robert F. Kennedy started quoting George Bernard Shaw, it meant he was wrapping up. Whistle-Stop Politics is a refreshing look at politics as it once was and a trip down memory lane, when trains stopped in small towns and time seemed to move more slowly." -Eleanor Clift, political reporter at the Daily Beast and coauthor of Selecting a President

"Whistle-Stop Politics is a great collection of stories and anecdotes that show why presidents and candidates love to campaign by train. Edward Segal gives us plenty of reasons for the popularity of whistle-stop campaign trains with the public, politicians, and their staff. There is really no better or more effective way for candidates and office holders to see America and connect with voters. Whistle-stop trains are fun, but more importantly, they provide those who want to lead us with a view of the country they can't get any other way. That's another reason why it would be better if politicians campaigned more by train than by plane." -Mike McCurry, press secretary to President Bill Clinton, 1995-1998