John J. Rhodes

Book excerpt: The life of John Jacob Rhodes is, in part, the story of a man thrust from the relative obscurity of the House to the forefront of what became America's most serious constitutional crisis since the Civil War - the drive to impeach President Richard M. Nixon. As House Republican Leader, John Rhodes was compelled to balance the interests of his party against his sworn oath to preserve the U.S. Constitution. The anguish he endured - and the political and personal courage he displayed - qualify John Rhodes as a true American patriot. This book documents Rhodes's life journey from his hometown of Council Grove, Kansas, through his long and illustrious representation of Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives, to his active post-Congressional career, which lasted up until his death at age 86 in 2003. His was a full life in which he was an eyewitness to and participant in major events in our nation's history -- from the Vietnam and Cold wars to the civil rights movement, from the normalization of diplomatic relations with China to "Reaganomics" - and all the domestic and international upheaval that characterized the second half of the twentieth century. John J. Rhodes: Man of the House is the engaging story of a man who is remembered by all who knew him as a quiet, effective leader who accomplished extraordinary things for his state, stood tall under enormous pressure at a time of grave national peril, and left a legacy of statesmanship sadly missing in today's body politic. John Rhodes's life reminds us how American politics once was and, hopefully, may one day be again.