Based on a political archive that spans five generations and more than 150 years, this collection of narratives, observations, wit, and wisdom, enlivens and informs on the family of former senator Adlai E. Stevenson III. This volume covers Adlai I, who served as vice president for Grover Cleveland; Adlai II, who served in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations and as governor of Illinois; Adlai III, who was an Illinois State Representative, state treasurer, senator, and two-time candidate for Illinois governor, and other family members in between. Whether it is Abraham Lincoln’s presidential campaign material—a Stevenson family member was a friend, contemporary, and promoter—after the famous seven debates or the forewarnings of the Comprehensive Anti-Terrorism Act of 1979, much of the history of the United States is presented here from personalized views of those who experienced and influenced it.

The principle source of material is the New York Times. Other sources include testimonies of contemporaries and Stevenson's speeches.

With complete access to private and official papers, Stevenson confidant Porter McKeever has written a masterful biography 25 years after the legendary statesman's death. Stevenson's combination of eloquence, vision, sophistication, and popular appeal have few equals, and he has remained one of the last great political heroes of our time. Photos.

Traces the life of the American statesman from Illinois from his rise as governor to running for president and United States ambassador to the United Nations.

Previously published in The New Yorker.