Honor in the House: The Life and Legacy of Speaker Tom Foley - Political Biography Book for US History Enthusiasts & Government Students

Although billed as a book written by former US House Speaker Tom Foley and his aide Jeffrey Biggs, this book is better described as a biography of Tom Foley by Jeffrey Biggs, with extensive interview quotes from Speaker Foley. Tom Foley lead an honorable career as a congressman from Eastern Washington. He rose to become the House Agriculture Committee Chairman and then methodically climed the leadership ladder from Majority Whip to Majority Leader and finally to Speaker of the House when then Speaker Jim Wright had to resign due to ethical issues. In the 1994 Republican wave election, Foley became the first sitting Speaker of the House defeated for re-election in 100 years. Finally, Foley ended his public service as US Ambassador to Japan, though the book only briefly touches on this service. The book does a good job of telling you what Tom Foley did in his career, but it gives very little insight into why Tom Foley made the decisions he made and even less understanding of his personal life. The book is written from the perspective of someone who clearly admires Tom Foley and has a distinct anti-Republican bias. Nevertheless, the book is helpful to understand a bygone era for comnity and productivity in Congress that once existed decades ago. Foley's political career spans the bridge between the post-WWII Congress and the more hyper-partisan atmosphere that exisits today in Washington DC.