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by Wayne Flynt (Author)
A Southern senator at the crossroads of change.
Duncan Upshaw Fletcher: Dixie's Reluctant Progressive is the definitive portrait of one of Florida's most influential yet overlooked political figures. Serving in the U.S. Senate from 1909 to 1936, Fletcher bridged the gap between Wilsonian progressivism and Roosevelt's New Deal, shaping landmark legislation such as the Federal Farm Loan Act, the Shipping Act, and major banking reforms. Far from a demagogue, Fletcher was a methodical, pragmatic leader who championed moderation, urban progressivism, and economic development while resisting racial and religious extremism.
Wayne Flynt's deeply researched biography illuminates Fletcher's paradoxical career--a Unitarian in a fundamentalist state, a reformer who later embraced conservatism, and a Southern Democrat who became a loyal New Dealer. Through vivid analysis of Florida's turbulent political landscape, the book explores themes of coalition-building, economic modernization, and the South's evolving role in national politics. This work will captivate readers interested in Southern history, political biography, and the roots of modern progressivism. Scholars of the New Deal, reform movements, and Florida history will find it indispensable, while general readers will appreciate its lucid style and insights into a leader whose story resonates with today's debates over moderation, governance, and social change.
Author Biography
Wayne Flynt, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at Auburn University, is one of the foremost historians of the American South. A fourth-generation Alabamian, he taught for forty years, authored or co-authored eleven books--two Pulitzer-nominated--and won numerous awards, including the Lillian Smith Prize. Past president of the Southern Historical Association, Flynt is celebrated for his scholarship on Southern politics, poverty, and culture, and for his lifelong commitment to public history and education.
