The lives of Clement Vallandigham and George Pendleton described the political tensions and changes in Ohio during and following the Civil War. The lives of B.F.Goodrich, Martin Foran, and George DeNucci documented industrialization and the growth of the labor movement. Biographies of Tom Johnson and William Oxley Thompson described the successes and limits of progressivism in Ohio. The lives of Benjamin Arnett, Florence Allen, Jane Edna Hunter, and Carl B. Stokes highlighted continued reform activities involving African-American and women's political and economic rights. Biographical sketches of Martin Davey, John Bricker, and James Rhodes documented the political changes in Ohio during the twentieth century. The book ends with a look at the life of Dave Thomas and his success with the fast-food chain well-known as Wendy's.
Each biography is written by a different author and, as the List of Contributors found at the back of the book illustrates, all are considered experts in their respective fields and well-suited to write these biographies. I commend the editors for editing the biographies so that the writing styles mesh and flow together throughout the work.
Many of the biographies describe only those aspects of the person's life that document his or her contributions to the political or economic history of Ohio. Several times I was left with the questions: “But then what happened?” or “How was this issue finally resolved?” or “How did his or her story end?” The bibliographies following each biographical sketch prove very helpful, but on occasion, it also may have been helpful to include a short paragraph bringing closure to the individual's life. On the other hand, the interest generated by these biographical sketches about individuals some of whom are not well-known provides praising testimony to the selection and writing skills of the authors and editors.
Although the geographic regions of Ohio represented by these individuals understandably emphasize Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and the northeast and southeast sections of the state, it would have been refreshing to have at least one individual (outside of the events involving Little Turtle and Blue Jacket) from northwest Ohio. Several known and not well-known people come to mind such as Samuel “Golden Rule” Jones and Ella P. Stewart. The only essay that does not document and summarize the individual's contributions to the political and/or economic transitions in Ohio as well as the other biographies is the last one on Dave Thomas. Although it describes quite well what he did in developing Wendy's, it does not tie these contributions to the overall economic changes occurring in modern-day Ohio .
