Washington and His Colleagues: A Chronicle of the Rise and Fall of Federalism

Henry Jones Ford (1851-1925) was a political scientist, journalist, university professor, and government official who taught at Johns Hopkins University, and afterwards taught at the University of Pennsylvania. He later took a job as professor of politics at Princeton University, at the request of the university's then-president, Woodrow Wilson. Ford's association with Wilson would take him also into politics. When Wilson became governor of New Jersey, he appointed Ford Commissioner of Banking and Insurance; after Wilson became president, Ford was sent to the Philippines on a special mission, reporting directly to the president, and toward the end of Wilson's presidency Ford was named to a position on the Interstate Commerce Commission. Their association would also result in Ford's book Woodrow Wilson, the Man and His Work, which was an account of Wilson's experience on the presidential campaign trail. Ford also wrote quite a bit about the Founding Fathers, including a book about Alexander Hamilton. In Washington and His Colleagues, Ford provides a comprehensive overview of Washington’s presidency and focuses on relations between his Cabinet, which included Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and John Jay.