A "magisterial" (The Wall Street Journal) portrait of four generations of the Morgenthau family, a dynasty of power brokers and public officials with an outsize -- and previously unmapped -- influence extending from daily life in New York City to the shaping of the American Century
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW Editor's Choice * A NEW YORKER MAGAZINE Book of the Year

"Exhaustively researched, vividly written, and a welcome reminder that even the most noxious evils can be vanquished when capable and committed citizens do their best." -- David M. Kennedy, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Freedom from Fear

After coming to America from Germany in 1866, the Morgenthaus made history in international diplomacy, in domestic politics, and in America's criminal justice system. With unprecedented, exclusive access to family archives, award-winning journalist and biographer Andrew Meier vividly chronicles how the Morgenthaus amassed a fortune in Manhattan real estate, advised presidents, advanced the New Deal, exposed the Armenian genocide, rescued victims of the Holocaust, waged war in the Mediterranean and Pacific, and, from a foundation of private wealth, built a dynasty of public service. In the words of former mayor Ed Koch, they were "the closest we've got to royalty in New York City."

Lazarus Morgenthau arrived in America dreaming of rebuilding the fortune he had lost in his homeland. He ultimately died destitute, but the family would rise again with the ascendance of Henry, who became a wealthy and powerful real estate baron. From there, the Morgenthaus went on to influence the most consequential presidency of the twentieth century, as Henry's son Henry Jr. became FDR's longest-serving aide, his Treasury secretary during the war, and his confidant of thirty years. Finally, there was Robert Morgenthau, a decorated World War II hero who would become the longest-tenured district attorney in the history of New York City. Known as the "DA for life," he oversaw the most consequential and controversial prosecutions in New York of the last fifty years, from the war on the Mafia to the infamous Central Park Jogger case.

The saga of the Morgenthaus has lain half hidden in the shadows for too long. At heart a family history, Morgenthau is also an American epic, as sprawling and surprising as the country itself.

• We started tracking this book on December 27, 2021.
• This book was $14.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 34 times in the past 1,302 days.
• The current price of this book is $5.99 last checked 11 hours ago.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is $4.99.
• The lowest price to date was $1.99 last reached on October 20, 2023.
• This book has been $1.99 one time since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $14.99 last reached on December 24, 2024.
• This book has been $14.99 8 times since we started tracking it.

• HistoryAmericasUnited StatesState & Local
• Biographies & MemoirsCultural & RegionalJewish
• Politics & Social SciencesPolitics & GovernmentUnited StatesFederal Government
• HistoryAmericas
• HistoryUnited StatesState & Local

• Publication Date: October 11, 2022
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 1,085 Pages
• File Size: 814 KB