Charles Holden: "Republican Populist"
Schedule
Mon Jun 15 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Enoch Pratt Free Library | Baltimore, MD
About this Event
Charles Holden will discuss his book, Republican Populist, as part of the Pratt Maryland Department’s Let’s Talk About Maryland author series.
Typically a maligned figure in American political history, former vice president Spiro T. Agnew is often overlooked. Although he is largely remembered for his alliterative speeches, attacks on the media and East Coast intellectuals, and his resignation from office in 1973 in the wake of tax evasion charges, Agnew had a significant impact on the modern Republican Party that is underappreciated. It is impossible, in fact, to understand the current internal struggles of the Republican Party without understanding this populist "everyman" and prototypical middle-class striver who was one of the first proponents of what would become the ideology of Donald Trump’s GOP.
Republican Populist examines Agnew’s efforts to make the Republican Party representative of the "silent majority." Under the tutelage of a group of talented speechwriters assigned to Agnew by President Richard Nixon including Pat Buchanan and William Safire, Agnew crafted the populist-tinged, anti-establishment rhetoric that helped turn the Republican Party into a powerful national electoral force that has come to define American politics into the current era.
A fascinating political portrait of Agnew from his pre–vice presidential career through his scandal-driven fall from office and beyond, this book is a revelatory examination of Agnew’s role as one of the founding fathers of the modern Republican Party and of the link between Agnew’s "people’s party" and the fraught party of populists and businessmen today.
About the Author:
Charles Holden, professor of History at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, is the author of The New Southern University: Academic Freedom and Liberalism at UNC.
About the Program:
- Doors will open to registered attendees at 6 pm.
- A local bookseller will be on-site and have books available for purchase.
- Free parking vouchers are available to program attendees who park at the Franklin Street Garage (15 W. Franklin Street) after 4pm. Ask Pratt event staff for your parking voucher prior to or after the program.
- There is no registration required for virtual attendance, simply visit the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Facebook or Youtube page.
Where is it happening?
Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
