“In the midst of a faltering Union and a war with no clear end, George Boutwell rose before an audience of thousands at the U.S. Capitol in 1862 to declare the war's true cause: the abolition of slavery. Now, a new biography resurrects the radical courage of this unheralded architect of justice.”

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​Leslie Landrigan, New England Historical Society, June 2025

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"Boutwell’s “belief in human equality – and conviction that republicanism was the engine of human and societal progress – unified his seven-decade career as an abolitionist, politician, and anti-imperialist crusader.  Rather than resolve the tension between idealism and political necessity, Boutwell’s life reveals how the two were deeply intertwined in his advocacy for a republic based on freedom and opportunity for all Americans.”

 

​Heath M. Anderson, Civil War Monitor, May 14, 2025

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“Historian Jeffrey Boutwell, a distant cousin of his subject, has just published BOUTWELL: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy, the first full biography of George Sewall Boutwell… a (Democratic) Massachusetts governor who supported the Harvard Reorganization Act (1851)… Although the law has been criticized somewhat for impinging on Harvard’s academic freedom, the place has obviously survived without notable harm attributable to the Boutwell-era lawmaking.  Given the current political climate, with the threat of far more hostile legislation emanating from the nation’s capital, Harvard should be so lucky again.”

 

​Primus VI, “Origin Stories,” Harvard Magazine, March-April 2025

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Demonstrating "impressive insight" in "this moving and thorough biography," author Jeffrey Boutwell "weaves together [George] Boutwell's life and activities with complex, momentous events across several periods of American history," emphasizing "Boutwell's lifelong commitment and activism in the areas of equal rights for African-Americans and his careful, detailed-oriented service as Commissioner of the IRS and as Secretary of the Treasury" for presidents Lincoln and Grant.

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Robin Friedman, Emerging Civil War Guest Review, April 3, 2025

 

"Jeffrey Boutwell paints a portrait of a deeply principled American politician," one whose "career intersected with every major political transformation of the 19th century. In a way, Boutwell matured with the country he loved." Today, "as the purpose and meaning of the 14th Amendment are once again debated, it's well worth learning more about one of its primary authors."

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"Family Lore: Review of Boutwell: Radical Republican and

Champion of Democracy by Jeffrey Boutwell," Carl Paulus, Washington Examiner, March 14, 2025​​​​

 

"Boutwell warned 'that the War may have ended slavery and secession, but a new war, that of Reconstruction, was about to begin.' As Boutwell explained, ‘Full negro suffrage is essential to the security of the Union,’ and was as important as the ‘bayonet was essential to us during the war.’ The tragedy is that as memories of the War receded and the health of the economy became the priority for Congress, the country would ignore Boutwell’s warning until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.”

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Biography of Boutwell explores how radical Republicans transformed Mississippi," Jere Nash, Clarion Ledger (Jackson, MS), March 2, 2025

George Boutwell is "indeed well worth remembering" in this "commendably balanced and well-researched biography." He "fought longer than most to extend Reconstruction... advocated tirelessly for the constitutional amendments guaranteeing birthright citizenship and ballot access... [and] led the failed effort to remove the racist Andrew Johnson from the White House." Boutwell forged "enduring friendships with both the loquacious Lincoln and the tight-lipped Grant" and "has long deserved resurrection."

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"A Man Ahead of His Times," Harold Holzer, Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2025