47 Facts About Herbert Croly

Herbert David Croly was an intellectual leader of the progressive movement as an editor, political philosopher and a co-founder of the magazine The New Republic in early twentieth-century America.

Herbert Croly promoted a strong army and navy and attacked pacifists who thought democracy at home and peace abroad was best served by keeping America weak.

Herbert Croly was one of the founders of modern liberalism in the United States, especially through his books, essays and a highly influential magazine founded in 1914, The New Republic.

Increasingly skeptical of the capacity of social welfare legislation to remedy social ills, Herbert Croly argued that America's liberal promise could be redeemed only by syndicalist reforms involving workplace democracy.

Jane Herbert Croly was a contributor to The New York Times, The Messenger, and the New York World.

Herbert Croly was the editor of Demorest's Illustrated Monthly for 27 years.

Jane Herbert Croly wrote only on the subject of women and published nine books in addition to her work as a journalist.

Herbert Croly was one of the best-known women in America when Herbert Croly was born.

David Herbert Croly worked as a reporter for the Evening Post and The New York Herald, as well as the editor of the New York World for 12 years.

Herbert Croly was a noted pamphleteer during Abraham Lincoln's presidency.

Herbert Croly attended the City College of New York for one year and entered Harvard College in 1886.

David Herbert Croly soon became concerned that his son was being exposed to improper philosophical material at Harvard.

But, in 1893, Herbert Croly suffered a nervous breakdown and withdrew again from Harvard.

In 1895, Herbert Croly enrolled for the final time at Harvard at the age of 26.

Herbert Croly excelled in his studies until 1899, when he withdrew for the last time from Harvard for unknown reasons, without a degree.

When it published in 1909, Herbert Croly became a leading political thinker and prominent figure in the progressive movement.

Herbert Croly argued that when America shifted from an agrarian economy to an industrial one, Jefferson's vision was no longer realistic for America.

Herbert Croly proposed a three-pronged program: the nationalization of large corporations, the strengthening of labor unions, and a strong central government.

Unlike other progressives, Herbert Croly did not want the government to wage war against large corporations.

Herbert Croly wanted the Sherman Antitrust Act repealed and replaced with a national incorporation act that would regulate and, if necessary, nationalize corporations.

Herbert Croly did not support economic equality or large disparities in wealth.

Herbert Croly called for the adoption of Hamiltonian means to achieve Jeffersonian ends.

Herbert Croly rejected these limits because he saw them as too closely tied to the doctrine of individual rights.

Herbert Croly wanted to transcend the doctrine of individual rights in order to create a national political community, one that would be forged by a strong but democratic national government.

However, Herbert Croly failed to see the connection between Jefferson's belief in democracy and his belief in limited government, and he failed to see the connection between Hamilton's belief in a strong national government and his call for institutional checks on democracy.

Herbert Croly's book was criticized for its lack of national focus.

From 1911 to 1912, Herbert Croly worked on a biography of Hanna: Marcus Alonzo Hanna: His Life and Work.

Herbert Croly needed a source of income at the time, and Dan Hanna paid Herbert Croly to write the book but reserved the right to make changes before it was published.

Either way, Herbert Croly was credited at the time as the author.

Herbert Croly was drawn into presidential politics during the election of 1912.

Herbert Croly took the national stage against Louis Brandeis on the issue of trusts.

In Progressive Democracy, published in 1915, Herbert Croly picked up where The Promise of American Life left off, shifting his focus to economic democracy and the issue of power for workers in large corporations.

In Progressive Democracy, Herbert Croly expressed hope that reformers in 1915 were different enough from reformers of the past that they could make real differences in American politics.

Herbert Croly's call for a more progressive democracy hinged on reforming social and economic systems.

Herbert Croly accused Woodrow Wilson's administration of returning the country to Jeffersonian individualism, the opposite of where he thought the country should be going.

Herbert Croly ended by appealing to Americans' cultural and social instincts to improve their situation.

Herbert Croly believed the magazine took the wrong stance on many issues and endeavored to start a magazine of his own.

Herbert Croly's pragmatism set the magazine's tone early, not blaming Germany but not openly supporting the Allies either.

However, Herbert Croly became disillusioned toward the end of World War I and finally abandoned his loyalty to Wilson in 1918.

The period from 1918 to 1921 was difficult for TNR, and by 1921, Herbert Croly was the only original member of The New Republic that remained.

Herbert Croly remained a contributor until his death in 1930.

In late 1917 and 1918, Herbert Croly began questioning his own beliefs about nationalism and democracy.

In 1920, Herbert Croly worked on another book called The Breach in Civilization.

The result was a compilation of the ideals Herbert Croly once held but by then believed were unrealistic positions.

Herbert Croly wrote that legislation as a solution for social issues was unimportant, and abandoned his own core philosophy that central government could create human amelioration.

Herbert Croly died on May 17,1930, and was buried in Plainfield, New Hampshire, alongside his wife's gravestone.

Whether or not Roosevelt was directly influenced by Herbert Croly's writings is debated, but many of Herbert Croly's visions for how government should operate are tenets of the New Deal.