Empire Statesman: The Rise and Redemption of Al Smith, by Robert Slayton, hardcover (good condition, dust jacket frayed at top edges)
 
Franklin Roosevelt is said to have explained Al Smith, and his own New Deal, with these words: "Practically all the things we've done in the federal government are the things Al Smith did as governor of New York." Smith, who ran for president in 1928, not only set the model for FDR, he also taught America that the promise of the country extends to everyone and no one should be left behind.
 
An engaging, lively portrait of the great New York governor chronicles Smith's struggles in state government and the anti-Catholic sentiments that torpedoed his historic bid for the presidency in 1928.