Dolley Madison as ‘Presidentess’
FLARE to host a virtual program on the former first lady’s role in establishing the President’s House and her role in uniting the country during the War of 1812.
The First Ladies Association for Research and Education will host the virtual program “Dolley Madison and the War of 1812” with Libby McNamee and moderated by Christopher Leahy. The event will take place at 7 p.m. EDT on July 29, 2024, and speakers will discuss the vivacious Dolley Madison, wife of the fourth President James Madison.
Beloved by all, she also was known as the "Queen of Hearts," and named “America’s First Lady” at her funeral. Learn about her instrumental role in establishing the President’s House as the social center of Washington City, as well as creating many national customs which remain to this day. We will explore her pivotal role in bringing our bitterly divided country together during the tumultuous events of the War of 1812, America’s Second War of Independence.
Libby McNamee is a lawyer, speaker, and award-winning author of two upper middle grade novels, "Susanna’s Midnight Ride: The Girl Who Won the Revolutionary War" and "Dolley Madison and the War of 1812: America’s First Lady," and their Study Guides. She is also the co-editor of "The Epic Story of 1776" and "The Epic Story of America 1777-1779." Currently she is writing a third novel, "The Union Spymistress: Elizabeth Van Lew."
Christopher J. Leahy is professor of History at Keuka College, a liberal arts institution located in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. He is the author of President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler (LSU Press, 2020), a biography the Wall Street Journal praised as a “deeply researched, gracefully written reappraisal” of the tenth president.
Leahy has also published scholarly articles and essays on first ladies, including two he co-authored with his wife, Sharon Williams Leahy: “The Ladies of Tippecanoe, and Tyler Too, in A Companion to First Ladies (Wiley Blackwell, 2016) and “Reclamation of a First Lady: Julia Gardiner Tyler’s Pursuit of a Federal Government Pension,” in Southern First Ladies: Culture and Place in White House History (University Press of Kansas, 2020). Currently, he and Sharon Leahy are at work on a biography of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler, which is under contract with the University Press of Kansas.
Watch the program on Facebook or YouTube.
Calendar
Aug. 6, 2024
BOOK RELEASE: A new, revolutionary look into the brilliant life of Pat Nixon
The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady by Heath Hardage Lee goes on sale Aug. 6, 2024. In America’s collective consciousness, Pat Nixon has long been perceived as enigmatic. She was voted “Most Admired Woman in the World” in 1972 and made Gallup Poll’s top ten list of most admired women fourteen times. She survived the turmoil of the Watergate scandal with her popularity and dignity intact. The real Pat Nixon, however, bore little resemblance to the woman so often described as elusive, mysterious and “plastic” in the press. Pat married Richard Nixon in June of 1940. As the couple rose to prominence, Pat became Second Lady from 1953-1961 and then First Lady from 1969-1974, forging her own graceful path between the protocols of the strait-laced mid-century and the bra-burning Sixties and Seventies. Read more
Aug. 6, 2024
Heath Hardage Lee Launches New Pat Nixon Biography: ‘The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady’
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California, will host Heath Hardage Lee, the author of a new Pat Nixon Biography: The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady at 7 p.m. (PT) on Aug. 6, 2024. Lee will discuss the life and times of this remarkable first lady: an empathetic, adventurous, self-made woman who wanted no power or influence, but who connected warmly with both ordinary Americans and people from different cultures she encountered world-wide. The event is free. Read more
Aug. 11, 2024
First Ladies Fine Dining: Contemporaries 21st Century
Author and lecturer Andrew Och aka “The First Ladies Man” will present a hands-on cooking experience on Aug. 11, 2024, for Cookology at Ballston Quarter in Arlington, Virginia, with a focus on First Ladies Dr. Jill Biden, Melania Trump, Michelle Obama and Laura Bush.
The role of First Lady has certainly changed and developed over the years. No one knows this more than the most recent first ladies of the 20th and 21st Centuries. However, one thing has remained constant…entertaining. The success of a State Dinner or any number of other celebrations or events could be the difference in passing an important bill or keeping a diplomatic relationship in good standing. These first ladies do so much more than entertain or serve a meal when they host these events. Enjoy a modern day history lesson over a beautiful meal made up of modern day first lady favorites. Read more
August 15, 2024
In-Person Third Thursday Night Out with the First Ladies
The National First Ladies Library & Museum for the August Third Thursday, will discuss “going back to school” with a deep dive into the world of one room schoolhouses—the main stage where First Ladies like Abigail Fillmore and Lucretia Garfield got their start. Attendees will enjoy the museum after hours as expert staff highlight the legacies of First Ladies Roosevelt, Fillmore, and Garfield and early education in America. Read more
Aug. 16-18, 2024
Third Annual Butterfly Daze to Honor Rosalynn Carter
The Friends of Jimmy Carter will host the Third Annual Butterfly Daze, a weekend-long event celebrating the life and legacy of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter in Plains, Georgia. The former first lady, who would have been 97 on Aug. 18, died at age 96 last November. The weekend will include an auction preview, an evening at Plains High School, a Rosalynn Carter Memorial Food Distribution, a butterfly release, the 2024 Carter Historical Auction and stay for church at Marantha Baptist Church on Sunday morning! Read more
Aug. 17, 2024
FREE Book Giveaway with Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) Honors Rosalynn Carter
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta will host a special event on Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (EDT) commemorating Mrs. Carter’s birthday with the partnership of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). RIF will be onsite to give out FREE books to kids.
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is celebrating nearly 60 years of inspiring the joy of reading for children. This legacy of impact has inspired a group of unprecedented literacy champions since our founding in 1966. Join the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum to celebrate the life and legacy of Rosalynn Carter, a steadfast champion for children’s literacy.
RSVPs are strongly encouraged. Please complete this form to RSVP by August 10th
Aug. 17, 2024
First Ladies and Their Legacies with Andew Och
Author Andrew Och, aka “The First ladies Man,” will present "First Ladies and Their Legacies" with Andrew Och at the Maranatha Baptist Church "Coffee & Conversations Inspired by Rosalynn Carter" at the 3rd Annual Butterfly Daze Festival in Plains, Georgia. Read more
Aug. 17, 2024
In-Person Fun with FLOTUS: A Sensory Voyage Through Grace Coolidge's Legacy
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents “FLOTUS: A Sensory Voyage Through Grace Coolidge’s Legacy” for children ages 6 to10. The event takes place from 11 a.m. to noon EDT and includes sensory stations that tells the story of the former first lady’s impact. Read more
Aug. 19, 2024
Virtual First Ladies on the Page Book Discussion: White Houses by Amy Bloom
Join the National First Ladies Library & Museum from 7 to 8 p.m. EDT on Monday, Aug. 19, for a discussion of author Amy Bloom’s White Houses. In this historical fiction, Amy Bloom aptly explores the friendship and romance between Lorena Hickok and Eleanor Roosevelt. The discussion meets live on Zoom. This interactive program will not be recorded. Zoom info, questions, and pertinent links will be sent out to participants before the meeting. Read more
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