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BOOK REVIEW: Rosellini: Immigrants' Son and Progressive Governor By Payton Smith University of Washington Press, 1997. 271 pp. This summer while visiting family in the state of Washington, I went to a Seattle Mariners baseball game. Unbeknownst to me, it was Italian American heritage night at the stadium, and members of the Sons of Italy and other Italian organizations filled the stands. Throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the game was Albert Rosellini, former Democratic governor of the state. As fate would have it, I had a biography of Rosellini sitting on my bookshelf at home. In Rosellini: Immigrants' Son and Progressive Governor, Payton Smith writes a political biography of the man who was the first Italian-American and first Catholic governor west of the Mississippi. Rossellini's political journey is one of conflict, compromise, and, ultimately, success. Rosellini's story is the story of so many immigrant sons. He was born to working class Italian immigrants and with hard work he rose to success. As an only son, he was favored and protected by his mother and sisters, who encouraged him and expected him to well in the name of the family. He passed the Washington State bar exam when he was twenty-three years old after graduating with honors from the University of Washington in only three years. Rosellini served as state senator from 1938 to 1956 and then two terms as governor of Washington from 1957 to 1964. It was a time when the state was challenged by the transition from a war economy to a peacetime economy and when the conflict between liberal and conservative legislators often created a stalemate for any progressive change. As an astute politician, Rosellini worked to move the state forward by improving its institutions and services. As Smith points out, Rosellini was largely responsible for the overhaul of the state's penal and mental health facilities. After several tragic events in these systems, Rosellini held hearings - over the objections of adversarial politicians - and found that these institutions bordered on inhumane and reflected poorly on a society that advocated justice and compassion. Throughout his legislative career, he worked to pass laws that called for more accountability and more funding for the state's prisons and mental health facilities. Today, Rosellini is particularly proud of his support for the state's higher education systems. As a senator, he sponsored legislation that established the University of Washington's medical/dental schools. As governor, he "recommended increases of more than $13 million in the operating budgets of the five schools of higher learning." His recommendation was met with "general opposition of the conservative-led coalition in the House of Representatives," but the governor prevailed and the state's colleges and universities were able to make necessary improvements in staffing and support services. Rosellini also reformed the state's community college system by placing control of the campuses under local boards of trustees with state supervision. This allowed for increased funding for the current colleges and for establishment of additional community colleges throughout the state. Aware that the state's economy dictated the revenues available for state services and programs, Rosellini established the first "cabinet-level department to facilitate economic development" in the state. The Department of Commerce and Economic Development was responsible for economic growth in the state and assisted businesses and corporations. Because of Rossellini's foresight, over time, Washington became a leader in Pacific Rim trade. Smith's biography of Rosellini stresses that the governor was a practical politician who often held progressive ideas that favored the less fortunate and disadvantaged. While Rosellini was not always successful in his legislation, and while he was often embroiled in controversy, he consistently worked to improve state services and institutions. Smith also points out that Rosellini and his administration were often suspected of corruption and illegal ties to liquor and gambling simply because of the legislator's Italian heritage. Smith writes, "Fear of the Italians' perceived propensity toward crime seemed to dominate society's view . . . These prejudices and his [cultural] background shaped Rossellini's political actions and legal career." For example, he trusted few people as advisors who were not close family and friends, and he supported legislation that liberalized the state's liquor laws, for, as Smith puts it, "Albert Rosellini grew up in culture which was puzzled by the larger society's obsessive dread of alcohol." The state's media also often accused Rosellini's administration of personal and political corruption, but Smith claims that after extensive research, he could find no evidence of dishonesty and that most of the allegations against Rosellini are based on rumor and innuendo and a perception at the time that Italians were always involved in crime one way or another. Rosellini: Immigrants' Son and Progressive Governor is an excellent political biography, placing Albert Rosellini's political career within the context of his times. Smith clearly knows Washington political history and understands the conflicts and tensions that infused state government during Rosellini's terms as senator and governor. If I have any complaint about the book, it is that the reader learns so little about Rosellini's personal life. While Smith attempts to explain what motivated Rosellini's political decisions, the author does not delve into the Rosellini's family life very much and it is difficult to gain insight into the governor's personal motivations. However, overall, Smith has written an interesting political biography that places Rosellini's career into historical and social context. It offers the reader insight into Rosellini's career in politics and attempts to explain how his Italian-American background both influenced his decisions and made him suspect to many citizens in the state during his administration. Italian Catholic Federation, 675 Hegenberger Road, Suite 230, Oakland CA 94621 tel: 888/ICF-1924; 510/633-9058; fax: 510/633-9758; Email: info@icf.org Website designed by HYPERSPHERE