Horace Greeley: Publisher and Politician

Horace Greeley was one of the most compelling and eccentric personalities in American history, his fingers embedded in every political pot and his newspapers tilting mercilessly at the social and political windmills of the day. He wasn't always gentle or nice; some of his editorials were excruciatingly harsh and scathing, but they reflected his passion about national problems. He achieved greatness but missed out on his quest, the illusive goal of the presidency. Thomas Nast, the great cartoonist at Harper's Weekly lampooned Greeley as mercilessly as Greeley skewered his Democratic foes, giving Americans political contests as entertaining as world athletic championships. Greeley, nearly bald, with a white fringe of hair encircling his round face, left his mark on American politics and policy. Award-winning novelist and syndicated columnist Daniel Alef tells the fascinating and strange story of the man who always donned an overcoat, regardless of New York's sultry summers, perhaps emblematic of his unique style and anomalous character. [1,511-word Titans of Fortune article]