LaGuardia in Congress was published by Cornell University Press in 1959. It is Zinn’s first book — his Columbia University doctoral dissertation, revised for publication — and the only one of his works that operates within the conventions of mainstream academic history. The subject is Fiorello LaGuardia’s career as a Republican congressman representing East Harlem from 1917 to 1933 (before his famous tenure as mayor of New York City).
Zinn was attracted to LaGuardia for reasons that prefigure his later work: here was a politician who genuinely represented the poor and immigrant communities he served, who fought against the established powers of his own party, who championed labor rights, opposed Prohibition (understanding it as an attack on immigrant culture), advocated for child labor laws, and consistently aligned himself with working people against corporate interests.
The book is conventional in form — archival research, balanced argumentation, careful sourcing — but already reveals Zinn’s sympathy for the activist politician over the trimmer or compromiser. It also demonstrates his skill as a researcher and writer: the prose is clear and engaging, the argumentation is rigorous, and the subject is illuminated through detailed attention to legislative maneuvering, constituency politics, and the social context of 1920s New York.
Collecting LaGuardia in Congress
First edition (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 1959): Cloth with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $75–$200
- Very good: $30–$75
- Zinn’s first book — scarce in fine condition