Herbert Croly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Herbert David Croly
Born	January 23, 1869 Manhattan, New York City
Died	May 17, 1930(1930-05-17) (aged 61) Santa Barbara, California
Alma mater	Harvard College (attended without graduation and later an honorary degree)
Occupation	Journalist, magazine editor, author
Known for	Political philosophy, intellectual leadership of the Progressive Movement
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Louise Emory

Herbert David Croly (born January 23, 1869 – died May 17, 1930) was an important thinker and leader in the Progressive Movement in early 20th-century America. He was a journalist, a political thinker, and helped start the famous magazine The New Republic.

His ideas influenced many important progressive leaders. These included former President Theodore Roosevelt, Adolph Berle, and his close friends Judge Learned Hand and Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter.

His 1909 book, The Promise of American Life, combined ideas from Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Hamilton believed in a strong national government, while Jefferson believed in strong democracy for everyone. This book greatly influenced progressive thinking at the time. Croly and his friend Walter Weyl wanted a stronger federal government to fix problems. They were called "The New Nationalists." Croly also believed America needed a strong army and navy.

Croly helped create modern liberalism in the United States. He did this through his books, essays, and the very important magazine The New Republic, which started in 1914. In his 1914 book Progressive Democracy, Croly argued that working for wages was not true freedom. He believed America's promise could only be achieved if workers had more say in their workplaces.

Who Was Herbert Croly?

His Family and Early Life

Herbert Croly was born in Manhattan, New York City in 1869. His parents, Jane Cunningham Croly and David Goodman Croly, were both journalists.

Jane Croly, also known as "Jenny June," wrote for The New York Times and The New York World. She edited Demorest's Illustrated Monthly for 27 years. She wrote mostly about women and published nine books. She was a very well-known woman when Herbert was born.

David Croly worked as a reporter for the Evening Post and The New York Herald. He was also the editor of The New York World for 12 years. He wrote many pamphlets during Abraham Lincoln's time as president.

Herbert Croly married Louise Emory on May 30, 1892. They were married until Herbert's death in 1930. They did not have any children.

His Education Journey

Croly attended the City College of New York for one year. Then, he went to Harvard College in 1886.

His father, David Croly, worried about the ideas Herbert was learning at Harvard. David wanted Herbert to study philosophy that agreed with his own beliefs. In 1888, Herbert left Harvard to care for his sick father. His father passed away in 1889.

Herbert went back to Harvard in 1892 after he married Louise Emory. But in 1893, he became very ill and left Harvard again. Herbert and Louise moved to Cornish, New Hampshire, where he got better. In 1895, Herbert returned to Harvard for the last time. He did well in his studies but left in 1899 without finishing his degree.

In 1910, after his book The Promise of American Life was published, Harvard University gave him an honorary degree. This means they recognized his achievements even though he didn't graduate.

Starting His Career

We don't know much about what Croly did right after leaving Harvard in 1899. Historians think he went to Paris to study philosophy. By 1900, he was back in New York City. From 1900 to 1906, Herbert Croly worked as an editor for an architectural magazine called The Architectural Record.

Life at Cornish Art Colony

Croly decided to build a house in Cornish, New Hampshire, where many artists lived. His friend Charles A. Platt, a famous architect, designed the house. It had an Italian style with beautiful gardens.

It was in Cornish that Croly wrote The Promise of American Life. This book aimed to guide Americans as the country changed from farming to industry. When it came out in 1909, Croly became a leading political thinker in the Progressive Movement.

Croly was also good friends with Judge Learned Hand and Louis Shipman, a college friend. Croly and the Shipmans are buried near Cornish.

Croly's Main Ideas

The Promise of American Life

In The Promise of American Life, Herbert Croly explained his vision for a progressive government in America. He believed democracy was America's most important quality. He saw democracy as a government that helps everyone share in the benefits of society.

Croly looked at the ideas of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Jefferson believed in individual freedom and limited government. Hamilton believed in a strong national government. Croly famously said he preferred Hamilton's ideas.

However, Croly also saw good things in Jefferson's philosophy. He wrote that Jefferson had "sincere... faith in the American people." But Croly thought Jefferson's ideas were too focused on individuals. He felt they only worked for an older America where people were pioneers seeking their own wealth. Croly's biggest idea was to combine Jefferson's strong democracy with Hamilton's strong national government.

Economy and Society

Croly argued that Jefferson's ideas no longer fit America when it became an industrial country. He turned to Hamilton's idea of a big national government. Croly believed the government should not just protect individual rights. It needed to actively improve the lives of its citizens.

Croly suggested three main things:

• Large companies should be controlled by the nation.
• Labor unions (groups of workers) should be made stronger.
• There should be a strong central government.

Croly strongly believed that labor unions were the best way to improve things for working people. He wanted unions to have the right to make sure companies only hired union workers. Unlike some other progressives, Croly did not want the government to fight against large companies. He wanted to replace laws like the Sherman Antitrust Act with new rules that would regulate or even nationalize corporations. He didn't have much sympathy for small businesses that couldn't compete.

Croly did not support huge differences in wealth. He thought a powerful central government should help the poor. He suggested a 20% federal tax on inheritances, not an income tax like other reformers wanted. Croly believed that wages should be enough for a "normal and wholesome life."

Individual Rights and Leadership

Croly wanted to use Hamilton's methods (strong government) to achieve Jefferson's goals (democracy for all). But he disagreed with Hamilton's idea of checks and balances on democracy. He also disagreed with Jefferson's idea of limited government. Croly felt these limits were too focused on individual rights. He wanted to create a strong national community led by a powerful but democratic government.

Croly believed a strong central government needed strong leaders. His ideal leader was Abraham Lincoln, someone who was "something of a saint and something of a hero." Lincoln understood that American democracy was more than just "rights"; it was a national ideal. Croly, like Hamilton, trusted a few powerful people to lead. He believed these leaders would remain democratic. Some people worried that Croly's idea of a powerful few could lead to a totalitarian state, where the government has total control.

Criticism of Croly's Ideas

The Promise of American Life received some criticism. Many worried it sounded like totalitarianism or fascism. Croly insisted his government was nationalistic, not socialistic. Even those who thought his government could be democratic worried he was biased towards Republicans. His book criticized Democrats but rarely Republicans.

The book was also criticized for not focusing on the whole country. It mainly discussed problems in cities, not rural areas. Topics like taxes, conservation, and farming were barely mentioned. Some also argued that Croly's plans were unrealistic and didn't fit the lives of most Americans.

By the time Croly died in 1930, 7,500 copies of The Promise of American Life had been sold.

Progressive Democracy

In Progressive Democracy, published in 1915, Croly continued his ideas. He focused on how workers could have more power in large companies. He wanted to explain what was needed for a truly popular system of government. For Croly, this meant the public needed good information on political issues. It also meant having strong public debates and working towards a common voice in society.

A main concern for Croly in this book was that the U.S. Constitution didn't fully support American democracy. He saw the Constitution as a "living Constitution," meaning it could change from what the Founding Fathers intended. Croly thought that for progressive democracy to work, it needed to move quickly. He felt the Constitution didn't allow for fast changes. He believed reforms were needed that couldn't wait for Congress or state governments to approve.

Croly hoped that reformers in 1915 were different enough to make real changes in American politics. He wanted to reform social and economic systems. He felt that President Woodrow Wilson's government was taking the country back to Jefferson's focus on individuals. Croly believed the country should move in the opposite direction. He ended the book by asking Americans to use their cultural and social instincts to improve their situation.

The New Republic Magazine

After Woodrow Wilson won the 1912 election, Harper's Weekly became the main magazine for Progressive politics. Herbert Croly disagreed with many of its views. So, he decided to start his own magazine. In 1914, Willard Straight and his wife Dorothy Payne Whitney provided the money for Croly's magazine, The New Republic.

Croly, Walter Lippmann, and Walter Weyl were the co-founders of The New Republic. The first issue came out on November 7, 1914. The articles in TNR showed the political ideas of its founders. By 1915, about 15,000 people read the magazine, mostly young thinkers in New York.

Theodore Roosevelt was featured in many early articles in TNR. But in December 1914, Roosevelt had a disagreement with Croly, Lippmann, and Weyl. The editors criticized Roosevelt for attacking President Wilson's policies in Mexico. In return, Roosevelt accused the editors of being disloyal. He stopped working with them and became openly hostile towards Croly and the others.

World War I was the first big challenge for the magazine. The editors had criticized Wilson's domestic policies, but they were unsure about taking a strong stance on the war. Croly's practical approach set the magazine's early tone. They didn't blame Germany or openly support the Allies. In the summer of 1915, TNR supported the idea of a limited war. They suggested actions like seizing German money instead of fighting a full war.

By late 1916, Croly began to agree with some of Wilson's policies. He used TNR to support Wilson in the 1916 election. However, Croly became disappointed towards the end of World War I. He finally stopped supporting Wilson in 1918.

The years from 1918 to 1921 were tough for TNR. By 1921, Croly was the only original member left. Willard Straight died in 1918 at age 38 from the flu and pneumonia. Three weeks later, Randolph Bourne, who had written for TNR from the start, died from the same flu at age 32. Theodore Roosevelt died a month later at age 60. Walter Weyl died in 1919 at age 46. Walter Lippmann left the magazine in 1921 after a disagreement with Croly. Around the same time, Judge Learned Hand, one of Croly's closest friends, ended their friendship over differences about the Treaty of Versailles. This was a very sad loss for Croly, even though their friendship partly healed years later.

In 1924, The New Republic went bankrupt. It was reorganized and started publishing again. But the original spirit of the magazine was gone. Croly continued to write for it until his death in 1930.

Later Life and Legacy

Final Years and Passing

Although Croly eventually supported America joining World War I, he became sad and frustrated by the war's costs. In late 1917 and 1918, Croly started to question his own beliefs about nationalism and democracy. The Treaty of Versailles, which ended the war, deeply hurt Croly's progressive spirit. He called the Paris Peace Conference the end of liberalism.

In 1920, Croly worked on another book called The Breach in Civilization. It was about the role of religion in the future. The book showed that Croly now believed many of his old ideals were unrealistic. He wrote that laws were not important for solving social problems. He gave up his core belief that a central government could improve human lives. He even said that progressivism was a failure. As the book was about to be published, Felix Frankfurter convinced Croly to take it back. It was never published, and only parts of it exist today.

Croly's health got worse in the 1920s. In 1928, he had a massive stroke. He survived, but the right side of his body was paralyzed, and his speech was badly affected. For 20 difficult months, Croly and his wife tried to help him recover. But it was too much. Herbert Croly died on May 17, 1930. He was buried in Plainfield, New Hampshire, next to his wife's gravestone.

Influence on the New Deal

Croly died before Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president and started his New Deal programs. However, many historians believe the New Deal used many of Croly's main ideas. It's debated whether Roosevelt was directly influenced by Croly's writings. But many of Croly's visions for how government should work became key parts of the New Deal. Adolph Berle, a member of Roosevelt's "Brain Trust" (a group of advisors), was a Progressive and knew Croly's work well.

Works by Herbert Croly

• Croly, Herbert. The Promise of American Life (1909) full text online
• Croly, Herbert. Progressive Democracy (1914) full text online
• Croly, Herbert. Marcus Alonso Hanna: His Life and Work full text online(1912), a positive biography of the conservative politician
• Croly, Herbert. "The Effect on American Institutions of a Powerful Military and Naval Establishment," Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 66 (July 1916), pp. 157–172. JSTOR 1013440.
• Croly, Herbert. "State Political Reorganization," Proceedings of the American Political Science Association, Vol. 8, Eighth Annual Meeting (1911), pp. 122–135. JSTOR 3038400.
• Croly, Herbert David, 1869–1930. Religion in life : typescript, 19--. MS Am 1291. Houghton Library, Harvard University.

See also

In Spanish: Herbert Croly para niños