The Washington Century - Three Families and the Shaping of the Nation's Capital

The Washington Century chronicles the hundred-year rise of the nation''s capital as it grew to become the most powerful city in the world -- a story made vivid through the history of three very different families, each representing an essential aspect of Washington: the Cafritzes, headed by a real estate mogul and his consummate hostess wife; the Boggs family, a political force in the ultimate political town; and the Hobsons, lead by a prominent black activist and civic leader in the first black-majority American city. Veteran journalist Burt Solomon uses these families to explore everything from the customs of Washington''s elite society to the expansion of the federal bureaucracy, the District''s own struggle for self-governance, and the influential role that politics and, increasingly, lobbying have played in the city.

About the author

Burt Solomon is a contributing editor for National Journal, where he has covered the White House and many other aspects of Washington life. In 1991 he won the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency. He is also the author of the acclaimed Where They Ain't, a history of baseball in the 1890s. He lives with his wife and children inside the Beltway.

Product details

• Authors: Burt Solomon
• Publisher: Harper Perennial USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.11.2005
• EAN: 9780060937850
• ISBN: 978-0-06-093785-0
• No. of pages: 528
• Dimensions: 133 mm x 203 mm x 38 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; HISTORY: WORLD, HISTORY: General, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Personal Memoirs, HISTORY: United States / 19th Century, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Historical, HISTORY: United States / 21st Century, HISTORY: United States / 20th Century, HISTORY: Modern / 20th Century, HISTORY: United States / State & Local / General, HISTORY: Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies)