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At War with Corruption
A Biography of Bill Price, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma
Foreword by Frank Keating
Published by: 2 Cities Press
Imprint: 2 Cities Press
472 Pages | 6 x 9 | 27 b&w images
$29.95
$24.95
At War with Corruption began as a biography of Bill Price, the U.S. attorney and Republican candidate for high office who spearheaded prosecutions in the most pervasive public corruption spectacle in American history: the Oklahoma county commissioner scandal. Price’s determination to root out the rascals and restore faith in governance branded him as the biggest corruption buster in the state’s history.
Price’s career in law and politics serves as a portal into corruption in Oklahoma. Episodes in that narrative include land swindles (soonerism) at the dawn of Oklahoma history; theft of Native Americans’ property and steamrolling of their cultures that reached a nadir in the Osage murders; the Supreme Court scandal of 1964–65; Leo Winters’ alleged misuse of state taxes (what was the treasurer doing with the people’s money?); Governor David Hall’s trial and conviction on charges of extortion; prosecutions of drug syndicates, Penn Square Bank insiders, and Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners on the take; and the systemic bribery in county governance that inspired this book.
Price shatters the myth that Oklahomans have been uniquely tolerant of, and susceptible to, corruption. He blames structural flaws and inadequate legislation for tempting law-abiding citizens to heed the call of their darker angels. Although Price failed in his gubernatorial and congressional campaigns, he has influenced policy through philanthropies that set a high bar for civic engagement.
At War with Corruption reveals the sinister side of human nature. Yet its intention is not to depress, but rather to uplift and to show what is possible when public servants work together to frame effective laws and promote justice.
Price’s career in law and politics serves as a portal into corruption in Oklahoma. Episodes in that narrative include land swindles (soonerism) at the dawn of Oklahoma history; theft of Native Americans’ property and steamrolling of their cultures that reached a nadir in the Osage murders; the Supreme Court scandal of 1964–65; Leo Winters’ alleged misuse of state taxes (what was the treasurer doing with the people’s money?); Governor David Hall’s trial and conviction on charges of extortion; prosecutions of drug syndicates, Penn Square Bank insiders, and Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners on the take; and the systemic bribery in county governance that inspired this book.
Price shatters the myth that Oklahomans have been uniquely tolerant of, and susceptible to, corruption. He blames structural flaws and inadequate legislation for tempting law-abiding citizens to heed the call of their darker angels. Although Price failed in his gubernatorial and congressional campaigns, he has influenced policy through philanthropies that set a high bar for civic engagement.
At War with Corruption reveals the sinister side of human nature. Yet its intention is not to depress, but rather to uplift and to show what is possible when public servants work together to frame effective laws and promote justice.
Michael J. Hightower is a fourth-generation Oklahoman and an independent historian and biographer. He is the author of the two-volume chronicle Banking in Oklahoma; 1889: The Boomer Movement, the Land Run, and Early Oklahoma City; and At War with Corruption: A Biography of Bill Price, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. He has taught sociology at the University of Virginia and Washington and Lee University and splits his time between Oklahoma and Virginia.
Frank Keating, a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma, served as the state’s twenty-fifth governor (1995–2003).
“In At War With Corruption, Michael Hightower has provided not only a fascinating account of a remarkable public official, but also an enduring lesson that integrity and honest government can ultimately triumph when led by a statesman of courage and professional skill. In an era when stories of political warfare and lawless politicians permeate the news media, this entertaining book is testament to the power of dedicated commitment to the rule of law.” —Edwin Meese III, Former Attorney General of the United States
“As a native Oklahoman, I was pleased when, in 1977, I was named Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Oklahoma City office. In what was sure to be a bruising fight against persistent corruption in Oklahoma governance, I was fortunate to count on then Assistant U.S. Attorney, and later, U.S. Attorney Bill Price, a prosecutor with uncommon dedication to our mission. Over the next four years, Bill and his team delivered outstanding service in what turned out to be the largest and most comprehensive public corruption case in FBI history.”—Buck Revell, Associate Deputy Director, FBI (Ret.)
“The (late) Oklahoma Press Gridiron noted that, with respect to politics, “there’s always an aroma in Oklahoma.” The crusading career of Bill Price confronted this problem head on. Following the teachings of his mentors and friends G.T. Blankenship, Bill Burkett, Tom Daxon, and Tom Cole, Bill’s courageous efforts recounted in this lively book rewrote the modern history of Oklahoma.”—Robert H. Henry, Former President, Oklahoma City University, Judge, Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Attorney General of Oklahoma
“Michael Hightower has produced a compelling and richly detailed life of Bill Price that is a very interesting read…The work is an exhaustive effort, which thoroughly chronicles Mr. Price’s contributions to the state of Oklahoma. And, in the end, fully humanizes his subject.”—Oklahoma Politics
“Hightower should be commended or offering readers a powerful, raw look at politics in the Sooner State in the modern era. [At War with Corruption] should find a home with all of those who teach history in Oklahoma specifically and in the American West generally.”—Journal of Southern History
2022 -
Oklahoma Book Award, Nonfiction, Oklahoma Center for the Book -
Winner
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