Book Review: A Connecticut Yankee Goes to Washington
I recently finished reading A Connecticut Yankee Goes to Washington: Senator George P. McLean, Birdman of the Senate written by Will McLean Greeley and published by RIT Press in January 2023. I previously watched a talk hosted by the United States Capitol Historical Society where Greeley discussed his new book, and he sent me a digital copy to review. While I have read and reviewed several great history books in the past months — Path Lit by Lightning and Slaves for Peanuts were two favorites — this book generated a wider range of emotional responses, including laughter, sadness, and triumph.
A Connecticut Yankee follows the life of underrecognized Senator McLean (R-CT) who survived an underprivileged childhood to become a wealthy lawyer and career politician. He worked during the Progressive Era in the United States from the 1880s after Reconstruction through the early 1920s during World War I. McLean’s proudest achievement was the passing of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA) during which he earned the nickname “Birdman of the Senate”.
As the great-grandnephew of the senator, Greeley offers a nuanced and balanced account of the man’s life, highlighting his political victories while acknowledging his faults. McLean crossed the aisle to create legislation for the good of Americans, including the working class and immigrants. Besides his effort with the MBTA, McLean voted for the US to join World War I, served on the Senate committee that created the Federal Reserve System, and denounced exclusionary immigration acts during his time as a US Senator. McLean was generous, opening his home to friends and leaving money to a variety of organizations that still operate today, including a local visiting nurse association and nearby retirement community, a game refuge, and The Connecticut Audubon Society.
Greeley freely admits that McLean was still a product of his time. The senator voted against the passage of the 19th Amendment granting women’s suffrage at the federal level even though he supported local suffrage. Despite positive interactions with Black Americans, McLean wrote a letter known to contain a racial slur. Greeley reveals McLean’s failings and explains their contexts using clear and unbiased language, successfully completing a difficult feat for any author, let alone one discussing the actions of an admired relative.
Greeley grounds the reader in the time period, going beyond a general overview of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era in the United States by referencing well-known events. He describes the opening of Yellowstone National Park in 1872 (which I last learned about during the 2023 Parked at Home series), the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, and the Black Socks Scandal in 1919. Greeley also takes care to mention presidents who worked with McLean — Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, and Calvin Coolidge — and connects McLean’s political career to those of more famous men.
Greeley connects past events to the present day by referring to locations and using analogies to more recent events. An avid vacationer, McLean visited places familiar to modern readers such as the Isle of Shoals in Maine (last appearing on this blog during the Culturally Curious talk Seaside Escapes) and golf courses designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (whose home I visited in August 2022). When discussing international tragedies during the Progressive Era, Greeley compares the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 to the better remembered bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
Combining rigorous research with a straightforward writing style and gentle humor, this book is perfect for anyone who loves history, not just an academic audience. Greeley’s ability to connect many events across the Progressive Era and to the present day allows readers less familiar with the time period to enjoy the book without feeling lost. Greeley includes a standard citation style, extensive bibliography, and and an index, so readers can easily locate the original sources of information to read on their own. The only difficulty I had while reading this book was that a few chapters describing McLean’s career as a senator were categorized by theme rather than chronologically. Some readers might experience confusion when the timeline resets as the chapter changes. Overall, A Connecticut Yankee gives insight to an often overlooked period of American history using an accessible writing style suitable for the average reader.
Abby Epplett’s Rating System
Experience: 8/10
Accessibility: 9/10