From Mount Vernon to Crawford
A History of the Presidents and Their Retreats
by Kenneth T. Walsh
From
George Washington ( Mount Vernon ) to George W. Bush (Crawford ranch), from FDR (Hyde Park) to JFK (Hyannisport), almost every single president has had a beloved place where he could really be himself. Based on Walsh’s interviews with four of the living presidents, as well as scores of officials and staff, From Mount Vernon to Crawford is a fascinating glimpse into this largely unexamined facet of American government.
Hyperion Books
Publish date: May 2005
ISBN 10: 1401301215
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Reviews
Washington Post
"An entertaining and illuminating survey of presidential retreats
that combines historical research with on-the-job reporting."
-- Washington Post
Jeff Turrentine
Presidents at Play
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Aaah, here's some light reading for President Bush -- poised, during his current vacation, to become the most relaxed and rested commander in chief ever-- after a long day of bicycling, clearing brush and sidestepping protesters. Kenneth T. Walsh's "From Mount Vernon to Crawford" (Hyperion, $25.95) is an entertaining and illuminating survey of presidential retreats that combines historical research with on-the-job reporting. (Walsh, the chief White House correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, has covered the presidency for two decades.)
That presidents like getting away from Washington should come as no surprise; what's interesting is how and where they choose to do so. As he looks at favored vacation spots throughout history, Walsh makes the case for each as a symbolic extension of a presidential persona. Thus did Hyde Park, Hyannisport and Kennebunkport -- all bastions of East Coast privilege -- do as much to cement the images of FDR, JFK and George H.W. Bush as elite plutocrats as the ranches of LBJ, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush did to burnish those presidents' down-home credentials. The classic photo of a grimacing Richard Nixon "relaxing" on the beach in San Clemente, unable or unwilling to shed his dark slacks and dress shoes, is by itself worth the cover price.
Jeff Turrentine
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
Gilbert Taylor
Capitalizing on the popularity of Air Force One (2003), journalist Walsh again taps the celebrity-type interest in the trappings of the American presidency - this time in the incumbents' escape destinations from Washington. An anecdote-driven amble, Walsh's tour describes the decor, amenities, menus, and similar trivia. Of more historical relevance, Walsh, who for two decades past has held the White House beat for U.S. News & World Report, explores the recuperative value to presidents of getting out of Washington, and what they've done when out of town. Walsh crafts this information, which encompasses the entertaining, recreational, gustatory, and bibulous habits of vacationing chief executives, into reflections of their personalities. Gregarious ones such as LBJ and Clinton kept a crowd around, while introverts such as Nixon and Reagan cultivated solitude. Either way, official business often intruded, and Walsh narrates^B the momentous decisions presidents have made while down on a ranch or up at Camp David. Looking at every president since FDR, plus Washington, Jefferson, the two Adamses, and Lincoln, Walsh succeeds in sating popular curiosity in presidents' private lives.
Gilbert Taylor
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PUBLISHER
Being president of the United States is no easy job. And when it comes time to get away from it all, the president can't just load his family into a mini-van and drive out to a public beach or go camping in the woods, and not just because it would drive the Secret Service crazy. ...
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