Biography as rhetorical artifact: The affirmation of Fiorello H. La Guardia

Abstract

Biographies of New York Mayor and Congressman Fiorello H. La Guardia are rhetorical acts that affirm La Guardia as an American hero by establishing and vitalizing his image. The biographies differ to a great extent depending on whether a biographer had a professional affiliation with La Guardia. Writers not affiliated with him use documented sources, direct quotations, and personal observations, and emphasize the themes of the Puritan Ethic and Progress/Competitiveness. Those associated with La Guardia exhibit highly general, idealistic portrayals and dramatize La Guardia's image with the more mythic themes of success, equality of opportunity, morality, and pragmatic humanitarianism.