No sport is more closely tied to the American presidency than baseball. One of Washington’s first baseball fields was located practically in the president's backyard — and as the game’s popularity grew, so did its connection with the White House. In this collection, we will examine the bond between these two quintessentially American institutions. We will also discover who was re
Presidents have found different ways to escape the pressures and politics of the position. For early leaders, it was a matter of course that they would leave the White House for the summer to tend to personal businesses or farms. The modern-day presidency is a year-round job. So while the work often follows, the countryside of Virginia or seaside of
Featuring Holly Kuzmich, Executive Director, George W. Bush Institute; Josh Bolten, Former White House Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush; Rear Admiral Michael Giorgione, former Commander of Camp David, author of “Inside Camp David: The Private World of the Presidential Retreat”
When I came to Iowa State, I had no idea what it meant to be a journalist. My idea of a reporter was a man in a trench coat and fedora writing down notes on a pad of paper, something out of a noir film. Even though I couldn’t see myself as a journalist, what attracted me to the fi
JAMES ARCHER ABBOTT is the Executive Director of the Lewes Historical Society in Lewes, Delaware. His publications include JANSEN, JANSEN Furniture, and Baltimore’s Billy Baldwin. He is the co-author of Designing Camelot. (WHH #60)
WILLIAM ADAIR is a frame historian, conservator, and gilder in Washington, D.C. (WHH #54)
MATTHEW ALGEO is a writer and journalist. He is the author of se
2023
2023 Best Book Awards
Furnishing the White House: The Decorative Arts Collection, Finalist, Art
Life in the White House, Finalist, History: United States
The Official White House Christmas Ornament: Collected Stories of a Holiday Tradition, Winner, Novelty & Gift Book
Rocco at the White House Easter Egg Roll, Finalist, Children's Nonfiction
Rocco at the White House Easter Egg Roll, Finalist, Children's
Authors
JAMES ARCHER ABBOTT is currently the executive director at Wright’s Ferry Mansion in Columbia, Pennsylvania. Abbott has served as director of Johns Hopkins University’s Evergreen Museum & Library, curator of American and European decorative arts for the Baltimore Museum of Art, and curator and educator for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Boscobel House and Gardens, and Hist
As part of the White House Historical Association’s 60th anniversary celebration in 2021, the Next-Gen Leaders (NGL) initiative was announced. The NGL cohort is a group of influential young professionals representing a wide variety of fields, bound together by a passion for history, civics, and education.
NGL members serve as ambassadors for the Association's nonpartisan, nonprofit, and historic mission and to
In the early decades of the republic a president's wife, like other wives, seldom displayed her private life to the eyes of the public. Few images of first ladies in recreational roles appeared until the early twentieth century, when American women gained new status and freedom in a fast-changing society.
Today along with the title first lady, the president's wife
After the Civil War, the nation's capital became a magnet for foreign diplomats and people who had made fortunes in the North and West. They flocked to the city to influence policy and to seek support from and influence with the United States. Among the schools frequented by their children was the Force School, located at 1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, close
Many modern presidents have had a casual interest in horseback riding, particularly as a vacation sport. However, no modern president has had a stronger association with horses than Ronald Reagan. His career in films and his own recreation demanded that he ride well. As president, he was comfortable in the saddle or simply working with his horses. Nothing pleased him
No sport created more excitement, enthusiasm and interest in the colonial period and the early republic than horse racing. Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson took immense pride in their horses and bred them to improve the bloodlines of saddle, work, carriage and racehorses. Early presidents loved horse racing, the most popular sport in America at that time.
George Washington,