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Soapy: A Biography of G. Mennen Williams | 
| Author: Thomas J. Noer
Publisher: University of Michigan Press/Regional
Category: Book
Buy New: $22.95
New (4) Used (7) from $9.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 1734520
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 456
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0472031864
Dewey Decimal Number: 320
EAN: 9780472031863
ASIN: 0472031864
Publication Date: September 11, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
"This is an important book about an important public official, G. Mennen 'Soapy' Williams---an unabashed liberal, a true humanitarian, and a great patriot."
---George McGovern
"Soapy Williams had a deep talent not only to compel but on occasion to repel."
---John Kenneth Galbraith
"Thomas Noer has written a model biography of a fascinating political figure. He brings Williams to life with all his contradictions, old-fashioned qualities, and admirable idealism."
---Robert Divine, George W. Littlefield Professor Emeritus in American History, University of Texas
"G. Mennen 'Soapy' Williams was not only a giant in the 20th century history of the Michigan Democratic Party, the history of the state of Michigan and our nation-he was a giant ahead of his time. Throughout his long and extremely distinguished career as Governor of Michigan, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, Soapy maintained an unwavering commitment to equality, justice and civil rights for all people."
---Senator Carl Levin
In this first complete biography of G. Mennen "Soapy" Williams, author Thomas Noer brings to life the story of one of the most controversial and colorful politicians in twentieth-century American politics and a giant in the Michigan Democratic Party.
In 1948, winning a stunning upset, Williams became Michigan's second Democratic governor since the Civil War and was reelected five times. He served under Kennedy and Johnson as Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, briefly held the post of U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, and was a member of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1970 to 1986, serving as Chief Justice in his last term.
Sporting his instantly recognizable trademark green and white polka-dot bow tie, Williams was a flamboyant character. He was also known for his energetic campaign style: he could say "hello" in seventeen languages, would shake hands with as many as five thousand factory workers a day, and made seemingly endless diplomatic trips to Africa. All of this captured the attention of the media and the public and made Williams into a celebrity.
Beneath his showy public persona, however, Williams also made important contributions to American diplomatic and political history. He built an unrivaled political machine in Michigan, bringing organized labor, African Americans, and ethnic groups into a new coalition; influenced the shift in American policy toward support for African independence; and wrote landmark decisions as a jurist on the Michigan Supreme Court.
The fascinating story of a complex and complicated man, Soapy will introduce one of the great American political figures of the twentieth century to a new generation of readers.
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| Customer Reviews:
Soapy: A "Good" Man in Politics June 15, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Often the object of ridicule outside the state for his name and his green and white polka dot tie, G. Mennen ("Soapy") Williams was in fact a major force for change in Michigan. First elected Governor in 1948, he and an army of supporters created a Democratic Party from scratch in a state completely dominated by Republicans. Through four terms until 1960, Soapy battled the Republican legislature, which opposed corporate taxes (read the auto companies) and fought for education, mental health care and other basic social services. This is part of the story told by Thomas Noer in his highly readable biography: "Soapy, A Biography of G. Mennen Williams, University of Michigan Press, 2005). Most stunning is Noer's account of Soapy's early advocacy of civil rights, beginning in the late forties. He recognized discrimation against Blacks, notably, but also campaigned against anti-semitism. ("Gentiles only" signs were common at Michigan hotels, Noer points out.)
His outspoken liberalism cost Soapy a central role on the national stage; he had hoped to run for President at the ripe age of 43. After the `60 election, JFK threw him a bone and then was surprised by the energy and effectiveness Williams brought to his appointment as head of the obscure "African Bureau." A humiliating loss for Senate followed and shortly after Soapy went to the Philippines as Ambassador. He ended his career as a Michigan Supreme Court Justice, eventually Chief Justice. It can be said that Soapy didn't know when to stop, that in fact he only knew how to work, typical perhaps of his generation.
Biographers are often overcome by the deluge of details which accompany any research of a life. But Thomas Noer knows how to tell a story. His book is a great read. I grew up in Michigan during the Soapy years, when Soapy loomed larger than life (even though he slept at our house and showed up at my wedding reception, my father having been one of the many inspired by his leadership). As a young girI, I was inspired by all the independent women who worked with him. Now it is extremely gratifying to have a peek behind the scenes. Noer makes it clear that Soapy's idealism sometimes led him into political blunders. But in this day and age it is bracing to read of a leader who did the right thing - even if it was not always politically expedient.
Je me souviens February 10, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A bit of disclosure is in order: I knew G.Mennen Williams from a distance, I grew up in the 1950s among many people who knew him very well, and I have always admired him. As such I am sympathetic to his ideals though aware of his imperfections, and quite knowlegdeable about his life and times. All that said, to me this book reads vivid and rings true. It is a work of formidable scholarship and scrupulous documentation. It is also very readable - as an academic editor, I marvel at the author's literacy and style!
The importance of Soapy Williams to the political history of Michigan and the nation, and the exemplary nature of his character arise from this book with remarkable vigor. One need not agree with his ideology to appreciate the profound effect he had on his time and place. He mattered. He was a leader who made people feel that they were personally involved in society, and that they personally mattered. At a time of cynicism, a "disposable" underclass, and cardboard midget politicians, his memory is both inspiring and excruciating.
Perhaps inspiration will win out. The greatest strength of this book is that it made me realize how much Soapy Williams made me and my generation in Michigan who we are.
William M. Klykylo / February 9, 2006
 "Soapy" Williams' Life January 8, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Regional political biographies rarely get much attention. Thomas Noer's biography of the late Michigan Governor G. Mennen Williams will likely appeal chiefly to those interested in Michigan history, but it should also find an audience among those interested in 20th century American politics. Williams, governor for 12 years, was intermittently and briefly on the national stage and thought to be a Democratic presidential contender. His presidential ambitions were shattered when his fights with the Republican-controlled Michigan legislature brought the state to bankruptcy. He was a millionaire, an unrelenting liberal, and a man of great personal integrity who had a life-long devotion to civil and human rights. He possessed a strong religious faith, which he acknowledged unashamedly. First elected governor at age 37, he turned Michigan into a two-party state. Professor Noer's book is a balanced, thorough, thoughtful, and very readable look at a fascinating life, and a welcome addition to the material on state-level public affairs.
Note carefully the last sentence of each paragraph December 2, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I know Tom Noer. I play golf with him on regular basis. I listened and watched with admiration and fascination his passion and commitment over the three years he devoted to the research and writing of this book. The result - an illuminating study of what we rarely hear about these days.....of how a man motivated by his religious beliefs became a classic example of what often is derided these days - a liberal. Noer does not whitewash Soapy's track record. He describes with fascinating details how Soapy led Michigan into financial chaos and became the only dissenter in the process of nominating LBJ as Vice President candidate. But Noer also has interesting writing style of saving his "zingers" as the last sentence of paragraphs throughout the book. This book is not only for life-long Michiganders, but anyone who wants to understand how and in what ways the principals of liberalism came into being and are part of today's political discourse.
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