Tench Coxe is one person very few school children read about...and for good reason. A Philadelphia merchant during the citical period of the 1760's through the 1820's, Coxe is a case study in switching political affiliation. As the Revolutionary War rages on, Coxe is a Loyalist and even attends the lavish Philadelphia balls with the British officers. When the war is over, however, Coxe switches his alliances, emerging at the forefront of those fighting for ratification of the new Constitution. He is rewarded with a job in George Washington's Treasury Department. However, Coxe becomes disillusioned with the Federalist Party as he begins to campaign for the Democratic-Republican, Thomas Jefferson. In his later years, Coxe spends much time campaigning in Pennsylvania for various political candidates, trying to manage his extensive land holdings and begging, usually fruitlessly, for a patronage job. The author attempts to show how Coxe, although running the gauntlet of political affiliations, has never let go of his core beliefs. He does not quite convince this reader, but he does make an intersting case. Even more important than Cooke's historical interpretation of Coxe's life is the fact that reading this fine biography helps one to more fully understand and appreciate the work that political underlings do, especially as it relates to early American political intrigues. One criticism I have of this book, and I admit it is more of a matter of personal preference, is that the author chronologically jumps around too much. In my opinion, this leaves the reader somewhat confused with regards to how some aspects of the subject's life interact with other aspects. Cooke does this especially with regards to Coxe's land speculation. It takes away from the overall quality of the book when Cooke describes Coxe's buying and selling of land in the Carolinas and I'm spending time trying to figure out what else is going on in Coxe's life. This is not a book written for curling up next to the fire, but rather for those who fancy themselves scholars.