Grit: The Life and Politics of Paul Martin Sr.(The C.D. Howe Series in Canadian Political History)

"I am not afraid to be called a politician," declared Paul Martin Sr., defending his life's work in politics. "Next to preaching the word of God, there is nothing nobler than to serve one's fellow countrymen in government." First elected to the House of Commons in 1935, Martin served in the cabinet of four prime ministers and ran for the Liberal Party leadership three times. This book examines his remarkable career as a liberal reformer and politician who tackled the issues of his day with consummate political skill and gritty determination. Cutting a broad swath through the history of twentieth-century Canada, Greg Donaghy uses extensive interviews and untapped archival sources to challenge the prevailing view of Martin as simply an ambitious Windsor ward heeler and party operator. Martin embraced a tolerant politics of compromise and accommodation that sought to unite Canadians in search of a more just and equitable world. Though some mocked his ambition and doubted his progressive politics, his resolute championing of health care and pension rights, new meanings for Canadian citizenship, and internationalism in world affairs would leave an indelible mark on Canada's political landscape.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Robert Bothwell and John English Preface 1 Sweet Paul, 1903-30 2 The Young Politician, 1930-39 3 A Conquered World, 1939-45 4 The Apprentice Minister, 1945-48 5 A Liberal in a High-Tory Cabinet, 1948-52 6 The Greatest Country in the World, 1953-56 7 Disappointment and Opposition, 1956-63 8 Saving the World, 1963-64 9 Dealing with Washington, 1964-65 10 Vietnam and a Mood of Protest, 1965-67 11 A Hard-Pressed Minister, 1967 12 Defeat and the Senate, 1968-74 13 Legacies, 1974-92 Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Greg Donaghy is head of the Historical Section in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, and adjunct professor in the Department of History at St. Jerome's University. He is general editor of Documents on Canadian External Relations, as well as editor of six volumes in this series covering 1950 to 1957. His publications include the monograph Tolerant Allies: Canada and the United States, 1963-1968, nine edited collections of essays on Canadian history, and over fifty scholarly articles on Canadian foreign policy.

Review :
Greg Donaghy paints a picture of a man whose ambition never superseded his fundamental decency, his connection to individuals both great and small, and his unwavering loyalty to colleagues, constituents and indeed a country that often treated him with something less than loyalty. This is both a fascinating study of twentieth-century Canada and the somewhat poignant story of a boy with big dreams. - Penny Bryden (Ontario History) During his lifetime Martin published two volumes of memoirs, and the diaries he kept while High Commissioner. But they are dull stuff: too long, too detailed, too stiff; as one reviewer put it, he left out the politics. Donaghy's impeccably researched and immensely readable biography, which draws on new material and numerous interviews, shows the extent to which Martin undersold himself. It also reveals him to be a very complex, highly intelligent, well-read, thoughtful, likeable, convivial, and witty man. It is one of the best biographies I have read in the last decade. - Lorna Lloyd, Keele University (British Journal of Canadian Studies, Vol. 29 No. 2, Fall 2016) In his detailed biography, Greg Donaghy ably chronicles the key roles that Martin played in ... Canadian political and international history ... Grit will surely serve as a valuable reference tool for scholars interested in the inner workings of policy formation and ministerial wrangling, and it illuminates our understanding of one of Canada's important twentieth century political operatives. - Matthew Hayday, University of Guelph (Canadian Journal of History)