The Presidents and the Theatre
Read Digital EditionForeword, William SealeThe Man Who Came to Dinner at the White House: Alexander Woollcott Visits the Roosevelts, Mary...
Main Content
In the early months of 1914, reporters who regularly covered the White House became alarmed at rumors that the Congressional Standing Committee of Correspondents would be entrusted with choosing reporters for a series of regular press conferences being planned by President Woodrow Wilson. Eleven White House reporters responded to the reports by establishing the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) to support “the interests of those reporters and correspondents assigned to cover the White House.”
Although the rumors proved to be untrue, the WHCA endured and elected William W. Price, a Washington Evening Star reporter who was one of the early journalists to cover the White House on a full-time basis (and the first to write a column of White House news morsels), as the WHCA’s first president.
As news technology changed and White House news coverage proliferated beyond print, radio and television, the membership and leadership of the WHCA also become more diverse. In 1975 Helen Thomas was elected WHCA president, the first woman to hold the post. In 1980 Robert Pierpoint of CBS became the first electronic media journalist to be elected head of the WHCA, and in 1991 Bob Ellison, White House correspondent for the Sheridan Broadcasting Network (later American Urban Radio Networks), became the WHCA’s first African American president.
Today, through its scholarships, journalism awards, annual dinner and other activities, the WHCA carries on its 100-year tradition of supporting the interests of journalists who cover the president and the official activities of the White House.
Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Martha Joynt Kumar, Towson University professor and member of the WHHA board
Read Digital EditionForeword, William SealeThe Man Who Came to Dinner at the White House: Alexander Woollcott Visits the Roosevelts, Mary...
No sport created more excitement, enthusiasm and interest in the colonial period and the early republic than horse racing. Presidents...
Before the twentieth century, the presidents' vehicles were not armored-plated or specially built. Their carriages were similar to those of...
TEACHER'S TEXTIn a democracy, the people speak at the ballot box. Their votes send a message to representatives at all...
The origin of the "American Presidents" by Genevieve Madeline Ryan is somewhat unique. One year, Genevieve's father asked her to...
Forward by William SealeThe Presidents and Baseball: Presidential Openers and Other Traditions by Frederic J. FrommerUlysses S. Grant's White House...
Since the James Madison presidency, St. John’s Church has been an important part of the life of Lafayette Square an...
Native Americans hold a significant place in White House history. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples, including the Nacotchtank and...
Honoring some of the greatest moments in sports history has become a tradition at the White House. Presidents and their...
Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament....
In 1821-1822, Susan Decatur requested the construction of a service wing. The first floor featured a large kitchen, dining room,...
Since the laying of the cornerstone in 1792, Freemasons have played an important role in the construction and the history of...