Almost in Reach of Fame

In Joe Barry’s debut book, he corrects the mistaken narrative that the audience at Ford’s Theatre sat passively as John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln and ran offstage. In Almost in Reach of Fame: Joseph B. Stewart, the Bourbon Giant Who Chased Lincoln’s Assassin and Caught Scandal, Joe analyzes the events of that fateful night in remarkable detail, relying on archival records from the two conspiracy trials, personal memoirs, newspapers, and other primary sources. And yet, Joseph B. Stewart was much more than simply Booth’s pursuer.

Despite his current obscurity, prominent Washington lawyer and lobbyist Joseph B. Stewart participated in many key developments—and was present during countless watershed moments—that shaped America’s growth into a world power. 

With a keen eye on the historic parallels to modern challenges, Joe transports the reader to a deadly race riot in Louisville; intense lobbying for the transcontinental railroad; an international controversy that led to the ouster of a foreign ambassador; a forgotten moment in civil rights history; Gilded Age corruption; and the chaotic environment of post-Reconstruction South. Sprinkled throughout are new insights into President Abraham Lincoln’s sense of justice and magnanimity. All told, Joseph B. Stewart could rightfully be referred to as the Forrest Gump of nineteenth century America.

In chronicling Stewart’s meteoric rise and swift fall from grace, Almost in Reach of Fame illustrates how America’s unconquered demons serve as a stark reminder of democracy’s fragility.