{"product_id":"forty-years-a-legislator-9780806138091","title":"Forty Years a Legislator","description":"\u003cp\u003e Elmer Thomas (1876-1965) represented the people of Oklahoma in the state's first legislature and in Congress. This memoir, written shortly after he left the U.S. Senate in 1951 but never before published, chronicles his long career and offers a wealth of information on people and events that helped shape the development of the state and the course of American history. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Thomas became one of Oklahoma's first state senators in 1907 and was involved with financing the construction of public works. As a member of the U.S. Congress, he made it his business to understand the Federal Reserve System, and as the farm crisis of the 1920s worsened during the Great Depression, he consistently argued for inflating the currency to stimulate the economy--a struggle that became central to his career and that he eventually won. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Thomas's panoramic look at the issues of his time includes a behind-the-scenes view of the Nürnberg War Crimes Trial and also tells how he helped push funding for the atomic bomb project through Congress without disclosing its true nature. Thomas dedicated his career to improving the lot of rural residents, Native Americans, and working people. \u003ci\u003eForty Years a Legislator\u003c\/i\u003e is a rich source of insight for all concerned with twentieth-century politics or the early years of Oklahoma statehood. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLowitt, Richard:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eRichard Lowitt \u003c\/b\u003e(1922-2018) was a Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma and author of numerous books, including a three-volume biography of George W. Norris, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Outback: The Oklahoma Panhandle in the Twentieth Century, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe New Deal and the West\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHanneman, Carolyn G.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCarolyn G. Hanneman\u003c\/strong\u003e is an archivist at the University of Oklahoma's Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRosenthal, Cindy Simon:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCindy Simon Rosenthal\u003c\/b\u003e is Mayor of Norman, Oklahoma, sister city to Arezzo.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University of Oklahoma Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50566269272338,"sku":"9780806138091","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_5804cbe1-343e-4b09-adc4-1e15accc21ea.jpg?v=1731894234","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/forty-years-a-legislator-9780806138091","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}