California Rising: The Life and Times of Pat Brown

by Ethan Rarick

Book Overview

It is now commonplace to say that the future happens first in California, and this book, the first biography of legendary governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, tells the story of the pivotal era when that idea became a reality. Set against the riveting historical landscape of the late fifties and sixties, the book offers astute insights into history as well a fascinating glimpse of those who charted its course--including Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520248287
• ISBN13: 9780520248281
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 536 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A very entertaining read

This is a very nice read. Soft biography of Governor Brown and descriptive overview of the times. You really cannot miss on this one.

Governor Edmund G. Pat Brown The Democratic Party in CA

Ethan Rarick has written a great biography of a man who was to be one of the most well known of California Governors.Edmund G. "Pat" Brown came on the political scene as DA of San Francisco County. He would follow the path of Earl Warren as State Attorney General and then Governor. Brown in 1959 became only the second Democrat elected governor in the 20th Century; Culbert L. Olson served 1939-1943. "Pat" Brown picked the right time to run for governor when US Senator William F. Knowland figured to use the California governorship as a stepping stone to run for President. Popular governor Goodwin J. "Goodie" Knight was forced by Knowland to seek his vacated Senate seat. This broke the GOP is California. Then, Knowland endorced Proposition 18 "The Right To Work Law." This lost the labor vote for the GOP totally. Brown would win in a landslide. Four years later, the governor's race in 1962, Brown defeated former Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Nixon made the famous remark to the press: " You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore." "Pat" Brown, in 1966 faced in a run for a 3rd term, a washed up actor from Warner Brothers, in the 1950's the host of General Electric Theatre and now the host of television's Death Valley Days. Ronald Reagan running on the platform to "Clean Up the Mess in Berkeley." Ronald Reagan defeated Pat Brown as he tried to do what Earl Warren had done be elected to a 3rd term. Governor Brown has many accomplishments the State Water Project; Freeways and many others. UC Berkeley, Watts and many problems of a changing time came at Governor "Pat" Brown, during his second term. Since 1958 except for a few years during the term of Gov. Reagan; the Democrats have controled the Legislature. In the book we see Browns fellow party members infighting famed Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty and Speaker of the Assembly Jesse "Big Daddy" Unruh. The Brown family continued with Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. 1975-1983 present Mayor of Oakland. "Pat" Brown's daughter Kathleen holding statewide office and being defeated in her bid for governor. This is a great book on a man of California Edmund G. "Pat" Brown.

Well-told, overdue story of a Governor and changing times.

First I'll disclose that the author, Ethan Rarick, is a friend of mine. Having said that, I'd have quickly bought and read this biography whether I knew the guy or not. Secondly, as a lifelong Californian of 50, I guess I'm exactly the right demographic for appreciating this book--Pat Brown is the first governor I can remember. Having childhood memories of the events in this book certainly made learning more about them that much more satisfying. But what makes this book so fascinating is how drastically the political landscape changed during the years of his administration, and how the changes ruined him politically--for a while. When elected in 1958 Brown was a forward-looking liberal with an ambitous agenda for improving California, one at which he was remarkably successful: banning racial discrimination, expanding a great university, and building a massive project to transport water unprecedented distances from wet parts of the state to dry ones. But by the time of his loss to Ronald Reagan in 1966, time had passed Brown by. Events like the Berkeley free speech movement and Watts riots pushed middle America into a sharp right backlash. The fact that he genuinely anguished over whether to have men executed or to spare their lives, unlike successors who adopted a safe, knee-jerk, blanket pro-death approach, injured him further at a time of increasingly pro-authoritarian attitudes. By '66, Brown seemed a hopeless relic. Damaged by a rough primary against Sam Yorty, L.A.'s racist demagogue mayor, and by his own inept scheme to sabotage the Republican primary, he was creamed by Reagan in his quest for a third term. Yet, by the time of his death 30 years later, Brown had again become an icon, hailed as the most effective governor ever by political wannabes of both major parties. A great personal story and an interesting slice of California history.