Book Reviews
All but Forgotten:
Thomas Jefferson and the
Development of
Public Administration
By Stephanie P. Newbold
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2010
Reviewed by Bob Blankenberger
Stephanie P. Newbold’s All but Forgotten: Thomas Jefferson and the Development of Public Administration contributes to the literature on Thomas Jefferson and his place in the development
of public administration. The importance of Jefferson’s contribution to the era of the Founding
Fathers cannot be understated. Scholars do not dispute the importance of Jefferson’s ideas in the
pursuit of independence and creation of the Republic. But historians and public administration
scholars have differed on Jefferson’s importance as a developer of administrative practices.
Newbold states that the primary purpose of this book “aims at casting Jefferson in a more historically
accurate role with regard to his contribution to American constitutional theory, administrative practice, and the democratic governance process.” (p. 8) Newbold argues that no public administration
scholar has thoroughly studied Jefferson’s executive branch management and argues that his administrative and political role in establishing the University of Virginia has received even less attention.
She rejects the views of administrative historians such as Leonard White (1951), Lynton Caldwell
(1988), and Donald Kettl (2002) that Jefferson made “relatively little contribution to the intellectual,
institutional, and historical development of American public administration” (p. xv). She argues that
careful consideration of the primary documents reveals Jefferson’s transformation from a primarily
theoretical thinker to being an important contributor to American administrative history.
The book opens with a chapter on Jefferson’s revolutionary thought in the period 1770 to 1800. Newbold describes the analysis of White, Caldwell, and Kettl that Jefferson’s administrative and constitutional views were deficient in comparison to those of Madison and Hamilton. Jefferson is considered
to have made considerable contributions to theories of religious freedom, the rights of man and republican government, but he does not show how to implement these within the constitutional framework. Jefferson’s views on religious freedom in public education and their role in establishing and
maintaining good government are present, but the practical side is not considered well developed. The
chapter goes on to discuss Jefferson’s strict constructionist understanding of constitutional theory
prior to becoming President. His position is presented through the debate with Hamilton on the crePublic Voices Vol. XI No. 2
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ation of the Bank of the United States, his opposition to the Alien and Sedition Acts, and his subsequent anonymous authoring of the Kentucky Resolution. Through his positions Jefferson clearly favored constitutional limits on federal authority, and was willing to go so far as to advocate nullification
of the Alien and Sedition Acts through the Kentucky Resolution, albeit anonymously.
Chapter two focuses on the development of Jefferson’s administrative thinking during his years
as President. She describes the view of many administrative theorists as represented by White and
Kettl who argue that Jefferson possessed a more speculative mind than an administrative one.
She contrasts this with the view of most historians and political scientists that Jefferson was heavily involved in day-to-day governance. Newbold describes Jefferson’s administrative style as innovative, differing from that of either Washington or Adams. Jefferson sought the most able
administrators to fill his Cabinet and fostered open communication with them, encouraging real
exchanges of opinion while reserving final decision-making authority to himself. He relied on
these capable men, particularly James Madison and Albert Gallatin, to inform him and to carry
out administrative decisions. These men worked with Congress in an unprecedented fashion helping to craft legislation and sat on committees when needed. Jefferson also fostered a strong working relationship with Congress. He was helped, no doubt, by the dominance of the Jeffersonian
Republicans in that period, but he did not take this for granted and cultivated his party leadership
so much so that he is thought by historians to be the first president to directly lead his party. Newbold illustrates these administrative practices by examining more closely the Jeffersonian decision to reverse Hamilton’s fiscal policies by reducing the debt, his angst-ridden reversal of his own
strict constructionist beliefs with the purchase of the Louisiana territory, and his embargo policies designed to keep the United States from entering the war with Britain or France.
In what is perhaps the most compelling section of the book, Newbold discusses Jefferson’s role in
the creation of the University of Virginia during his retirement. She argues that this period in his life
is often overlooked but is vital to understanding of Jefferson’s administrative theory. She emphasizes that this contribution would have been impossible had it not been for the growth in administrative ability that took place during his presidency. Jefferson’s attempt to bring policy to fruition
which would support his long-held espousal of the need for public education for the health and
longevity of the establishment of a republic was borne out in his endeavor to create the University
of Virginia. Newbold describes in great detail Jefferson’s tireless efforts at fostering support for the
creation of University of Virginia and his day-today involvement in the creation of the University
from the architectural planning to the hiring of faculty to the design of curriculum. His frustrating
failure to gain Virginia State legislative support for broader public education did not temper his zeal
in pursuit of the establishment of a public institution of higher education that would support the
long-term viability of republican government through the training of able administrators to serve that
government. As Newbold rightly points out, it is in this period that Jefferson makes the demonstrable connection between theory and practice, between politics and administration.
In the final chapter, Newbold connects her observations with the work of Stephen Skowronek
(1997), Philip Selznick (1957), and Larry Terry (2003). She argues that her findings support
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All but Forgotten: Thomas Jefferson and the Development of Public Administration
Skowronek’s view of Jefferson as a reconstructive leader both during his presidency and in his
work to found the University of Virginia. Similarly she sees Jefferson as fitting Terry’s description of a conservator, both as President and in his role in the creation of University of Virginia.
She connects Jefferson’s leadership with Selznick’s work on how organizations become institutions and the importance of institutional statesmanship. She finds that the attributes Selznick
finds necessary for institutional leadership are present in Jefferson. What has perhaps not been adequately considered before is the essential nature of Jefferson’s leadership in the creation of the
University of Virginia as an institution.
Newbold’s work is an important contribution to the understanding of Jefferson’s position in the
development of public administration in the United States. Her emphasis on his role in the creation of the University of Virginia is particularly valuable. While preparing this manuscript, this
reviewer had the opportunity to visit Jefferson’s estate Monticello. Doing so afforded me further
evidence of the remarkable capacity of this former president and complemented Newbold’s position. Anyone who has seen the attention to detail evident in his home cannot but be convinced
of his administrative capacity. And just as his theoretical nature is present, so also is his administrative mind. And both capacities are well presented in Newbold’s work.
References
Caldwell, L. (1988). The Administrative Theories of Hamilton And Jefferson: Their
Contribution to Thought on Public Administration, 2nd ed. New York, Holmes & Meier.
Kettl, D. (2002). The Transformation of Governance: Public Administration for Twenty-First
Century America. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Newbold, S. (2010). All But Forgotten: Thomas Jefferson and the Development of Public
Administration. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Selznick, P. (1957). Leadership in Administration: A Sociological Interpretation. Evanston,
IL: Row, Peterson.
Skowronek, S. (1997). The Politics Presidents Make: Leadership from John Adams to Bill
Clinton. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Terry, L. (2003). Leadership of Public Bureaucracies: The Administrator as Conservator. New
York: Sharpe.
White, L. (1951). The Jeffersonians: A Study in Administrative History, 1801-1829. New
York: MacMillan.
Dr. Bob Blankenberger is the Deputy Director for Academic Affairs at the Illinois Board of
Higher Education and a faculty member at Benedictine University at Springfield.
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