cover image Christie Whitman: For the People

Christie Whitman: For the People

Sandy McClure. Prometheus Books, $35 (282pp) ISBN 978-1-57392-014-8

Governor Whitman of New Jersey, whom many consider to be a leading contender for the number-two spot on the 1996 GOP ticket, was born in 1946 in New York City into a prominent, ``old-money clique'' Republican family. Brought up on her parent's N.J. estate called ``Pontefract'' (which we are solemnly told means ``Broken Bridge'' in Latin), she grew up as a ``willful, spoiled child, a homely tomboy'' who was rebellious and a poor student. At college, she supported America's involvement in the Vietnam War and was pro-choice, but her real ``passions were ice cream and dancer and screen star Fred Astaire.'' After working at various Republican political positions, she married in 1974 and bore two children. The author discusses the controversies of Whitman's political life (she voted to deposit millions of dollars into a bank in which she and her family had substantial financial interests); her near-upset against Senator Bill Bradley in 1990; and her victory over Governor Jim Florio in 1993. Filled with much Whitman minutiae (as a child, she had a dog named ``Ike''; she loves horses), McClure, a local reporter, has written a political bio that will supply Whitman supporters with much to cheer about and her detractors with more to jeer at. Photos not seen by PW. (Jan.)