Description
In the feverish, money-making age of railroad barons, political machines, and gold rushes, corruption was the rule, not the exception. Yet the Republican mogul 'Big Alex' McKenzie's audacity was remarkable. Charismatic and shameless, he arrived in the recently purchased Alaskan territory with a federal district judge in his pocket, intent on claiming stewardship over any ambiguously claimed gold mines and promptly draining them of all of their ore. Working-class miners who had rushed to the frozen tundra to strike gold were appalled at his open greed and disregard for maintaining even the pretense of good faith. A Most Wicked Conspiracy tells the story of McKenzie's misdeeds, the resistance of the wronged miners, and the way the scandal captured the national spotlight -- with the press eager to show how America's political and economic life was in the grip of domineering, self-dealing, seemingly-untouchable party bosses in cahoots with robber barons, Senators and even Presidents. These events resonate well into the 21st century. At the core is an eternal question: should the law be a tool of the rich and the powerful for the accomplishment of their nefarious schemes, or an impartial force for justice from which no person can escape?
About the Author
Paul Starobin is the author of Madness Rules the Hour: Charleston, 1860 and the Mania for War, praised by the New York Times as a 'fast-paced, engagingly written account' of the hysteria that descended on Charleston, South Carolina, on the eve of the Civil War. He has been a frequent contributor to the Atlantic and is a former Moscow bureau chief for Business Week. He has written for other publications including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Politico, National Geographic, and Smithsonian. He lives with his family in Orleans, Massachusetts.
Book Information
ISBN 9781541742307
Author Paul Starobin
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint PublicAffairs,U.S.
Publisher PublicAffairs,U.S.
Weight(grams) 540g
Dimensions(mm) 250mm * 162mm * 32mm
About the Author
Paul Starobin is the author of Madness Rules the Hour: Charleston, 1860 and the Mania for War, praised by the New York Times as a 'fast-paced, engagingly written account' of the hysteria that descended on Charleston, South Carolina, on the eve of the Civil War. He has been a frequent contributor to the Atlantic and is a former Moscow bureau chief for Business Week. He has written for other publications including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Politico, National Geographic, and Smithsonian. He lives with his family in Orleans, Massachusetts.
Book Information
ISBN 9781541742307
Author Paul Starobin
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint PublicAffairs,U.S.
Publisher PublicAffairs,U.S.
Weight(grams) 540g
Dimensions(mm) 250mm * 162mm * 32mm
