John Niven is Professor Emeritus of American History at Claremont Graduate School and is editor of the papers of Salmon P. Chase. His many books include Gideon Welles, Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy, Martin Van Buren and the Romantic Era of American Politics, and John C. Calhoun and the Price of Union: A Biography.
"John Niven...presents a meticulous study of Chase--the man and the
politician. In the process, he throws a laser beam on the
inner-workings of the Lincoln presidency and, more broadly, the
politics of the age....Salmon P. Chase is a fine biography of a
complex man maneuvering through a complex time."--The Times
(Trenton)
"One of the Salmon P. Chase paradoxes is the fact that, among
Lincoln's contemporaries, he has been relatively neglected because
of his very importance. He was engaged in such a wide range of
public activities as to intimidate biographers. Now, having
mastered the sources, John Niven in the first comprehensive
biography re-creates the man in all his complexity, personal as
well as political. The book is as readable as it is
authoritative."--Richard Nelson
Current
"A brilliant account of the public and personal life of one of the
most complex and fascinating major figures of the Civil War
era."--Kenneth Stampp, author of America in 1857: A Nation on the
Brink
"Niven's smooth but thorough biography reminds us of the importance
to history of a long-forgotten player."--Booklist
"In detailing Chase's quest for ever higher office, the author
reveals a complex will."--The New Yorker (Recommended Reading)
"A balanced view....A vivid sketch....Niven's scholarship is
impeccable. His writing is deft....Aside from its historical value,
Niven's work presents a fascinating case study of the relationships
between personal ambition and social progress."--Lexington
Herald-Ledger
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