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The People's House

On September 23, 2024, the White House Historical Association opened The People's House: A White House Experience. This cutting-edge, immersive education experience tells the story of the Executive Mansion, its inhabitants and the people who have dedicated their careers to its functions. White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin and Acting Managing Director of The People’s House Luke Boorady discuss the co

Awakening the Spirit of America

Author Paul Sparrow, former director of the FDR Presidential Library, will join to discuss his new book, Awakening the Spirit of America, and more.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Family at John F. Kennedy’s Funeral

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy stands on the steps of St. Matthew’s Cathedral with her two young children by her side, as John F. Kennedy, Jr. salutes his father’s casket. She wears a long veil over her face. The choice of a veil was unusual; by 1963, mourning veils had fallen completely out of fashion. Like the mourning drapery she rein

In Memoriam (Garfield’s Funeral March)

Famous composer and head of the Marine Band John Philip Sousa was shocked by President Garfield’s death: “With the event weighing heavily on his mind he walked all through the night and into the next morning. When he returned home he immediately committed the dirge ‘In Memoriam’ to paper.” The U.S. Marine Band played the march as the president’

A Revolutionary Friendship

Martha Washington’s worst memory was the death of her husband. Her second worst was Thomas Jefferson’s awkward visit to pay his respects afterwards. Indeed, by the time George Washington died in 1799, the two founders were estranged, but for most of their thirty-year acquaintance they enjoyed a productive relationship. Professor Frank Cogliano will discuss his new book, A Revolutionary Frie

White House History with Margaret Brennan: The President Abroad

The White House Historical Association's 2024 series White House History with Margaret Brennan will feature several conversations dealing with various topics about diplomacy and the White House. The second event will take place on June 26, 2024, and will explore “The President Abroad." The panel will converse about presidential travel, how government agencies and departments work to coordinate and plan diplomatic events, and th

Secret City

Author James Kirchick joins the program to discuss his New York Times Bestseller, Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington. Utilizing thousands of pages of declassified documents, interviews with over one hundred people, and material unearthed from presidential libraries and archives, Kirchick illuminates how homosexuality shaped each successive presidential administration through the end of the twentieth century against the