Back to Blog

The Rough Rider and the Professor with Laurence Jurdem

interviews Sep 13, 2023

 

On today’s episode, Sharon is joined by author and professor Laurence Jurdem to discuss his book, The Rough Rider and the Professor, about the unusual thirty-five-year political friendship between President Theodore Roosevelt and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge. While Roosevelt famously “rose like a rocket,” in the political spotlight with his larger-than-life personality, it was arguably his Machiavellian friend Cabot who lit the fuse and used his vast social network to boost Roosevelt. In his research, Laurence Jurdem immersed himself in 2,500 letters of archives from the Massachusetts Historical Society to write the story of this unique Presidential friendship, and to remind us that close, meaningful friendships do not always have to perfectly align politically. We can disagree without being disagreeable. 

Special thanks to our guest, Laurence Jurdem, for joining us today. 

 

Links to Full Episode

 

About the Guest:

Laurence Jurdem, Ph.D., is currently an adjunct professor of history at Fairfield University and Fordham College’s Lincoln Center campus. Mr. Jurdem is also the author of Paving the Way for Reagan: The Influence of Conservative Media on U.S. Foreign Policy. A frequent writer on American politics, his articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle. He lives in Connecticut.

 

Related Links:

 

Episode Sponsor Codes:

Democracy Awakening with Heather Cox Richardson

Sep 25, 2023

Before the Movement with Dylan Penningroth

Sep 22, 2023

What an Owl Knows with Jennifer Ackerman

Sep 20, 2023