J.Michael Martinez

I am pleased to announce that my 14th book, Congressional Giants: Influential Leaders of Congress and How They Shaped American History, published by Lexingto...

I am taking a break from reporting on my current research efforts to explore a slightly different topic in this posting. Because I have been reading more boo...

A March 2019 Rolling Stone story on Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar summarized her place in American culture during the third year of a divisive Republic...

As I discuss in my forthcoming book, Congressional Pathfinders: “First” Members of Congress and How They Shaped American History, Stephanie Murphy was the fi...

In 2017, the first Indian-American woman to serve in the United States House of Representatives swore an oath to represent the seventh congressional district...

Catherine Cortez Masto became the first Latina United States senator when she won the election in 2016 to succeed Harry Reid, a long-serving Senate minority ...

Ladda Tammy Duckworth is a trailblazer in many ways. She is the first Thai-American and the first disabled woman elected to the United States Congress as wel...

As I discuss in my forthcoming book Congressional Pathfinders: “First” Members of Congress and How They Shaped American History, Daniel Ken Inouye represente...

Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy was one of those public figures that engenders strong emotions. He is loved and hated in almost equal measure by legions of admire...

Republican Arthur Hendrick Vandenberg served as a United States senator representing Michigan from 1928 until his death in 1951. During his tenure, Vandenber...

Robert Ferdinand Wagner served as a Democratic United States senator from New York from 1927 until 1949. He was well-known for his efforts to reform politica...

George William Norris of Nebraska served five terms in the United States House of Representatives (1903-1913) as well as five terms in the United States Sena...

Robert Marion La Follette, Sr., was nicknamed “Fighting Bob” for a reason: he was an outspoken and tenacious supporter of numerous progressive causes even at...

Carter Glass, a white southern politician in the age of Jim Crow, was an ardent racist and apologist for segregation, but he was much more than that. A self-...

I am pleased to announce the publication of my 13th book, Congressional Lions: Trailblazing Members of Congress and How They Shaped American History (Lexingt...

One commentator characterized Benjamin Franklin Wade, the Radical Republican from Ohio, as “pugnacious,” and indeed he was. Other descriptions, such as canta...

Charles Sumner was an erudite, haughty senator from Massachusetts, a man confident in his superior intellect and legislative acumen. He also enjoyed physical...

Thaddeus Stevens, a nineteenth century “Radical Republican,” was one of the most effective and passionate men to ever serve in the United States Congress. As...

He is not a household name, but Justin Smith Morrill was one of the most important members of Congress in American history. I discuss his life and career in ...

Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, nicknamed the “Little Giant” owing to his diminutive physical stature but his outsized political influence, was one o...