Master of the Senate
by Robert Caro
Publisher: Knopf (2002)

book reviewed by Kevin P. Quinn

Lyndon Baines Johnson is a fascinating political character to begin with. Many people know a little of his presidency; fewer know of his career in the US Senate. If you enjoy politics, you will enjoy the rich level of detail about Johnson's reign as provided in Robert Caro's newest book, Master of the Senate. Masters, like all of Caro's books, is extremely long, but it is well written and very interesting.

In Master of the Senate, Caro takes the reader through Johnson's careful, calculating cultivation of the then existing power structure - Senators Rayburn and Russell and President Roosevelt -- to establish the roots that enabled him to advance to power in the Senate. This is the third in the series by Caro on Johnson. The other two are "Path to Power" and "Means of Accent."

Like Caro's other books, he takes the reader through little events that show just how his subject obtains and uses power and influence. Like Robert Moses in "The Power Broker," Caro explains in excruciating detail how Johnson used his Senatorial power to get his way in the Senate. For example, Johnson used the Senate cloakroom, once a place for gentlemanly discussion, to force Senators to his side of an issue. He would seat his victim in a soft leather coach because it was difficult to get out of keep him there until he had ensure his support. The treatment of his staff and his wife are further highlights of how ruthless Johnson was in the exercise of power, according to Caro.

The real theme of the book, however, is how the United States Senate changed from a collegial body run by individual committee chairman to strong centralized control through the Majority Leader. Slowly, but carefully, Johnson chipped away at the power of senators who had been around waiting for "their turn" at running certain committees. Prior to Johnson's leadership, a chairmanship was based on seniority. While Johnson was there, it was based on loyalty. Even those who were loyal had little influence on legislation as Johnson exercised total control.

Thus, when a Senator asked why he was not chosen for a particular committee, Johnson politely informed him that he might like to consider working with Johnson a little more closely. Johnson replaced the middle-aged Senators with younger, more loyal Senators whom he could control. This, according to Caro, was fine with the older Senators who were carefully cultivated over the years to trust Johnson on the way in which business should be conducted in the United States Senate.

The most interesting part of the book is how Johnson was able to broker an unimaginable deal between the strong Southern Senate block and the Northern Senate liberal block on civil rights. Given Johnson's 20 year record of voting against civil rights and his ruthless attitude toward winning at all costs, Johnson's civil rights battle was, according to Caro, clearly a political play at a time when pressure was mounting in the United States for action. Johnson's early cultivation of Senator Richard Russell (an older Senator from Georgia staunchly opposed to civil rights, but trusting of Johnson) was really the linchpin to Johnson's success on Civil Rights. The way Caro leads the reader up to this ultimate deal on Civil Rights is really interesting and a fascinating work on political science in American history.

Kevin Quinn is a principal with the law firm of Hinman Straub P.C.

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09/08/2003