COWBOY POLITICS: THE CHANGING FRONTIER MYTH AND PRESIDENCIES OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT, LYNDON JOHNSON, RONALD REAGAN AND GEORGE W. BUSH A Dissertation Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN SASKATOON BY DAVID ALEXANDER SMITH © Copyright David Alexander Smith, April 2016. All rights reserved. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this dissertation in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my dissertation work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my dissertation work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication of use of this dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. DISCLAIMER Reference in this dissertation to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favouring by the University of Saskatchewan. The views and opinions of the author expressed herein do not state or reflect those of the University of Saskatchewan, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of material in this dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5A2 Canada OR Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research University of Saskatchewan 107 Administration Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5A2 Canada i ABSTRACT This is the first in-depth and comprehensive study of the deployment of the Frontier Myth by US presidents. It explores how and why this quintessential American vision has been adapted and transformed to advance radically different political agendas. The dissertation incorporates key elements from the disciplines of history, literature and anthropology. It explores the relationship between presidential politics, history, literature, and popular culture in representing the frontier and the textual, verbal and visual representations that have been deployed to depict the significance of the westering, frontier experience in relation to the four presidents. The study relies on a broad range of primary and secondary resources from several research institutions including three presidential libraries. My research reveals that major events in American and world history have caused the emphases of the myth of the “Old West” frontier to be reshaped, at times abruptly, so that presidents of different eras could attempt to harness this Western symbolism in promoting their remarkably wide-ranging ideologies and doctrines. The first of the “frontier” Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, vigorously pursued an active federal government and helped directly establish a forward looking Frontier Myth that today would be considered on the left. A series of tragic events during the Lyndon Johnson through Jimmy Carter presidencies (1965-1980), however, including the American quagmire in Vietnam, race riots, economic stagflation, and other crises both at home and abroad, broke up the consensus of a liberal, progressive Frontier Myth that no longer appeared to match the historic experience. These events caused the entire structure and popular representations of American frontier symbols and images to shift political direction from the left to the right, from liberalism to conservatism—a profound change that has had dramatic implications for the history of American thought and presidential politics. The popular idea today that frontier American leaders and politicians are naturally Republicans with conservative ideals flows directly from the Reagan era. Looking forward, the nature of the resilient Frontier Myth could once again be entering a watershed period as it did during the 1960s: its message in the realm of presidential ii politics depends on the shape and influence of national and world events that will occur in the years and decades to come. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When one is an academic librarian with a nuclear family and working on a PhD program for seven years there are many people to thank. My family has shared this experience with me every day since the journey began. I will always be grateful to my wife of 25 years, Yumiko, and our teenage daughters Emily and Rachel (who is now twice the age she was when I started) for their amazing encouragement, patience and endurance. Special thanks to my brother, Paul Smith, for sparking my interest in both history and Westerns at an early age. Much of the credit for anything worthwhile in this dissertation and none of the blame for its faults go to my gifted supervisor, Professor Keith Carlson, who provided numerous key foundational ideas and insights, kept me on track, and offered his extensive knowledge generously from day one. He is the best “Frontier Presidents” dissertation supervisor a graduate student could hope to have. My thanks also goes to Gary Zellar, for his enthusiasm, support and knowledge of character studies, and important guidance and contributions to earlier drafts of this dissertation. My committee members were all a great pleasure to work with: Bill Bartley and Lindsey Banco shared their literary and cinematic knowledge through both course work and key revisions to this study; and Natalia Khanenko-Friesen brought her important anthropological perspective to this interdisciplinary endeavour. Thanks also to my enthusiastic and courageous chair, Richard Julian, and to the folks in the Interdisciplinary Studies department and Graduate Studies who have been incredibly supportive in achieving this goal. I met some outstanding archivists and librarians who went the extra mile to help me track down many resources and contacts vital to this project. The LBJ Library in Austin is a model institution and I have many people to thank for my two weeks research experience there including subject archivists Allen Fisher, Liza Talbot, Barbara Cline and John Wilson, Margaret Harman in A/V collections, registrar Michael MacDonald, along with reference archivists Lara Hall, Brian McNerney, Scott Seely and Will Clements. My special thanks to Sharon Kilzer, Project Manager of the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University, and staff who were simply amazing in providing a plethora of TR resources all brought together in one location (just down the iv road from Saskatchewan). I cannot thank you enough. The staff of the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, provided advice and access to some especially fascinating audio visual and campaign materials. And thanks also to the curator of collections, Marilyn Fisher, for the in-depth tour of the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara. I must mention two amazing mentors from my six years as an undergraduate and Master’s student at the University of Victoria. Ted Wooley, an inspiring professor, MA supervisor, and friend. You are very much missed. And Brian Dippie who set out much of the intellectual foundation for this dissertation. Brian was the perfect 8:30 am professor with his unforgettable courses on the American West and Intellectual History (“Mr. Smith, are you awake? I have a question for you.”). Key financial support for this dissertation came from the Moody Research Grant, Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, the White House Historical Association Research Grant, the University of Saskatchewan sabbatical grant, and the University of Saskatchewan Library. Thanks also to the University of Saskatchewan Library for its strong relief support at key stages in the PhD program. My incredibly supportive and wonderful colleagues in the Murray Library: Diana Kichuk, Deborah Lee, and Susan McConkey kept my eyes on the prize and were always there when I needed help. Retired head of the law library and friend Ken Whiteway gets the blame for suggesting that I take on the PhD program in the first place. And finally my special thanks to another friend, humanities librarian extraordinaire Donna Canevari de Paredes, whose encouragement and constant support enabled me to reach the finish line. v DEDICATION To my parents Jack and Doreen Smith, the best two people I know. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE AND DISCLAIMER…………………………………………………………..….i ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….…ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………………………………...iv DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………………………………….vi TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………………..……….vii LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………….……………..……..….......viii INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………………………………….1 CHAPTER I THEODORE ROOSEVELT: THE RISE OF THE FRONTIER MYTH AND EDUCATION OF THE FIRST COWBOY PRESIDENT……….29 CHAPTER II THE PROGRESSIVE FRONTIERS AT HOME AND ABROAD…....67 CHAPTER III “PRINT THE LEGEND”: THE EARLY TO MID-TWENTIETH CENTURY FRONTIER MYTH IN POPULAR CULTURE, MEDIA AND POLITICS……………………………………………………………………..110