Thunder from the prairie The life of Harold E. Hughes

Jerry Harrington

Book - 2023

"This is a biography of Harold E. Hughes, a man of working-class origins who overcame severe alcoholism to become Iowa governor (1963-1969) and U.S. Senator (1969-1974). A Democrat in traditionally Republican Iowa, he--through his charismatic leadership--helped transform Iowa into a competitive two-party state. As governor, he reformed state government. As senator, he was an outspoken leader against the Vietnam War and the American military, including exposing covert operations such as the illegal bombing of North Vietnam in 1972. He launched the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism with the underlying principle that alcoholism is a disease, not a personal moral failure, impacting thousands of alcoholics through the years.... Hughes was driven by a moral compass guided by his Christian beliefs, stemming from an intense, life-long search into the deep river of his soul. Unlike others of his time, however, who took Christianity to conservative political ends, Hughes's theology steered him to politics left of center, making him distinctive among other politicians of his day who publicly professed Christian beliefs. The first book-length treatment of Hughes, Thunder from the Prairie fills a major gap in the history of Iowa and Midwestern political history more generally"-- more