Morgenthau

Power, Privilege, and the Rise of an American Dynasty

By: Andrew Meier

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Length: 38 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

An “epic and intimate” (David M. Kennedy) 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

“Magisterial . . . a vivid retelling of critical domestic and world events over two centuries.”—Dr. Fiona Hill

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.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF that contains images from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Andrew Meier (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Andrew Meier has constructed an epic of vast scope and bravura research, drawing on more than a decade of digging to provide a window into one of the twentieth century’s most influential families, and what its sprawling history can teach us about power and politics in America.”—Ronan Farrow

“Morgenthau is the rare writerly accomplishment that manages to tell a tale that is both epic and intimate. It is 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

“Morgenthau is a magisterial book, cinematic in scope and dramatic in its pacing, a vivid retelling of critical domestic and world events over two centuries that is both gripping and illuminating.”—Fiona Hill, PhD

Wonderful history. So glad I read this book

Growing up in Ny this book was a wonderful story about a great family. I do wish there was another Bob to take the reins.

TheResearch Is Voluminous and Facinating

This book reminded me of The Power Broker in its necessity to fully understanding the history we already think we know .
Highly recommend that you make the large time commitment required to finish it.
Time well spent
Odella Woodson

Our country’s history revealed

This is an eye opening history of the 20th Century and its influence on the 21st. ; as well as of a family that had immense impact on both. Reading the news everyday won’t help you understand current events, because the influences are taking place in offices, banks, government chambers around the world far from the view of ordinary people. It is only because of good people that dark forces are held at bay. As a family I would say the Morgenthaus set the bar high for having integrity, a sense of fairness and ethics that we could well use more of today. We will all be wiser for reading this history.