Allen Drury
A political journalist who channeled the cloakroom intrigue of the U.S. Senate into a Pulitzer-winning novel that defined Washington power novels for a generation.
1918–1998 (age 80)·American writer·Birthday: September 2·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Allen Drury arrived in Washington as a young reporter for United Press International, covering the U.S. Senate during the pivotal years of World War II. His keen observations of figures like Truman and Vandenberg filled his notebooks and a daily column, capturing the theater of democracy. He sat on this material for over a decade before weaving it into 'Advise and Consent,' a 1959 novel that laid bare the personal ambitions, secret histories, and political machinations behind a Cabinet nomination. The book's massive success, winning the Pulitzer Prize, surprised the literary world and established a gritty, insider template for political fiction. Drury spent the rest of his career expanding this universe, but his first and most enduring work remains a foundational text of American political drama.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Allen was born in 1918, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Allen Was Born
The biggest hits of 1918
Allen's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1918Born
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Started school
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1931Became a teenager
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Could drive
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1936Could vote
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Turned 21
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1948Turned 30
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 40
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 50
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 60
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 70
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 80
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
Key Achievements
- Won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1960 for his debut novel, 'Advise and Consent.'
- Published 'A Senate Journal 1943-1945,' a firsthand account of his time as a Senate reporter.
- Saw 'Advise and Consent' adapted into a successful 1962 film directed by Otto Preminger.
- Wrote a series of sequels following the characters from his seminal novel.
Did You Know?
He served as a correspondent in the Pacific theater during World War II before covering the Senate.
The character of Senator Seab Cooley in 'Advise and Consent' was based on real-life Senator Kenneth McKellar.
He originally intended to be a playwright before turning to journalism and novels.
His papers, including his Senate diaries, are housed at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
“The Senate is a place where good representatives sometimes become bad senators.”
