The Last Republicans

A groundbreaking look at the lives of George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, the most consequential father-son pair in American history, often in their own words.

In this revealing, often poignant work, presidential historian Mark K. Updegrove tracks the two Bush presidents from their formative years through their post-presidencies and the failed presidential candidacy of Jeb Bush, derailing the Bush presidential dynasty.

Drawing extensively on exclusive access and interviews with both Bush presidents, Updegrove reveals for the first time their influences and perspectives on each other’s presidencies; their views on family, public service, and America’s role in the world; and their unvarnished thoughts on Donald Trump and the radical transformation of the Republican Party he now leads.

In 2016 George W. Bush lamented privately that he might be “the last Republican president.” Donald Trump’s election marked the end not only to the Bushes’ hold on the White House, but of a rejection of the Republican principles of civility and international engagement and leadership that the Bushes have long championed.

The Last Republicans offers illuminating, moving portraits of the forty-first and forty-third presidents, as well as an elegy for the Republican “establishment,” which once stood for putting the interests of the nation over those of any single man.

About the Author

Mark K. Updegrove is the Director of the LBJ Library & Museum. Called "one of the country's best historians" by CNN, he is also an award-winning author with over two decades of leadership experience within top media organizations.

His first two books, Baptism By Fire: Eight Presidents Who Took Office in Times of Crisis (2009) and Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House (2006) related to the American presidency. His third book, Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency, was published by Crown Publishers in March 2012.

His articles have appeared in American Heritage, The Nation, National Geographic, TIME, and Worth, and he has appeared on ABC News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News, and other national news outlets.

Mark Updegrove is a native of Philadelphia and a graduate of the University of Maryland.