The extraordinary accomplishments of a great educator and even greater self-promoter To those who loved him, like Teddy Roosevelt, he was "Nicholas Miraculous," the fabled educator who could do everything; to those who didn't, like Upton Sinclair, he was "the intellectual leader of the American plutocracy," a champion of "false and cruel ideals." Ezra Pound branded him "one of the more loathsome figures" of the age. Celebrated and reviled around the world, Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University for forty-four years, was a dominant personality for half a century. In this engrossing biography, Michael Rosenthal explores the many ways in which this extraordinary character seized and wielded power. Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 while simultaneously president of Columbia University, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Butler imposed himself on America as did few others. Rosenthal's superbly researched, elegantly written narrative brings vividly to life the mania, narcissism, and genius that enabled "Dr. Butler" to transform Columbia into New York's major research university and at the same time to become an internationally recognized institution himself. Rich in social, cultural, and political insight, Nicholas Miraculous illuminates Butler's prodigious career and the complex nature of the age that nourished him. The animating question of this biography is, How does a once-famous civic leader fall into oblivion? Nicholas Butler autocratically ruled Columbia University from 1902 to 1945. No university president today could dispose of institutional affairs in Butler's I-know-best manner. In some ways, he did know best, expanding Columbia from a college into a world-class university with professional graduate schools; sections duly recount Butler's fund-raising and stag-club networking. What extends Rosenthal's biography from institutional to general interest is Butler's life in public affairs, where he was prominent in the Republican Party, seeking its presidential nomination in 1920. He also presided over the Carnegie Endowment, gaining prestige (and the Nobel Peace Prize) for promoting idealistic schemes of peace. Fair to Butler but arch about his unapologetic, unwavering elitism, Rosenthal delivers a profile that is far livelier than its academic ambience would initially suggest. Gilbert Taylor Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “A first-rate biography of Butler, rescuing him from obscurity and describing the sometimes neglected political history of Butler’s era . . . A compelling read, opening a window on the world of early 20th century politics and explaining the rise of the modern university in America.” —Vincent Cannato, New York Post “[A] vividly written and meticulously researched biography . . . [ Nicholas Miraculous ] is a must for those concerned with the development of college and university education from its dry days in the nineteenth century to its bristling status today.” —Louis Auchincloss, BookForum "Even before he died, or as some say, died out, Butler was out of fashion, out of date, and therefore out of the American mind, which if it yet exists will require this savory memorandum of what a great man was once considered likely to be. It is Rosenthal’s saucy distinction to be aware of all these ‘outs’ and equally aware of the larger and longer ‘in’; what is centrally important about Butler propels him and his subject to necessary attention in our moment when so much has been taken away. A restorative, even a curative book." —Richard Howard "Masterful narration, a firm grasp of historical context, and an endless supply of anecdotes, both amusing and appalling, propel this major biography of a seminal figure in American education and political life. Writing with a stiletto-sharp pen, Michael Rosenthal brings back to clamorous life the tireless self-promoter who was Nicholas Murray Butler. A big, boisterous, and valuable book." —Laurence Bergreen "Though his name is surprisingly little known, Nicholas Murray Butler was one of the most illustrious and influential Americans of the first half of the twentieth century, though he is largely forgotten today. In every way an outsized personality, he was at once a gifted yet imperious administrator and a canny, self-promoting egotist, a pioneering advocate for the modern university yet also a diehard establishment figure who resisted social change. His many-faceted career embraces much of the history of his times. Michael Rosenthal’s sardonic portrait is wonderfully readable and illuminating, critical of the man but respectful of his achievement in creating a great university and bending it to his will for more than four decades." —Morris Dickstein "An elegant, richly detailed and irresistibly readable portrait of a man who was arguably the greatest academic careerist and institution builder of the twentieth century. M