The Last Hurrah

An expansive political drama from 1956, The Last Hurrah depicts an Irish-American politician in Boston, Frank Skeffington, as described by the nephew he persuades to observe him during his contested reelection campaign. Skeffington is an expert at balancing the claims of the various Boston-area ethnic groups. Cynical and corrupt, he also provides for his constituents. This was a best-seller and made into a great film starring Spencer Tracy. At the time of publication, many pointed out the similarities between Skeffington and Boston mayor James Michael Curley. Jack Beatty who wrote an award-winning biography of Curley called The Rascal King (1993, reprinted in 2000); has written a wonderful introduction for our edition.