91. President Jimmy Carter: Faith, Family, and a Presidency
Release Date: 02/28/2024
101. The People’s House: A White House Experience
The White House 1600 Sessions
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy founded the White House Historical Association over 60 years ago, famously saying “The White House belongs to the American people.” The Association’s mission has been clear since day one: preserving, protecting, and providing public access to White House History. That mission continues through The People’s House: A White House Experience at 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue - a block away from the White House - in Washington, D.C. In this episode, Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association, describes how The People’s House evolved from...
info_outline
100. Cooking at the White House
The White House 1600 Sessions
The White House showcases the very best of American culinary arts, whether it's providing the president some much needed nourishment after a long day or using a meal as a diplomatic tool between two nations. White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford spent almost 30 years working in the White House kitchens before retiring in July 2024. Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association, spoke with Chef Comerford about growing up in the Philippines, falling in love with cooking, and becoming a U.S. citizen who never dreamed one day she would cook at the most famous...
info_outline
99. Queen Elizabeth II and America’s Presidents
The White House 1600 Sessions
Given how things started almost 250 years ago between the United States and King George III, the history of diplomacy and friendship between the White House and Queen Elizabeth II is quite remarkable. Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association, talked about this history with David Charter, the assistant editor (US) of The Times and author of Royal Audience: 70 years, 13 presidents--One Queen's Special Relationship with America. Queen Elizabeth II reigned over the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms for seven decades until her death in 2022 - the...
info_outline
98. Conversations on the American Presidency
The White House 1600 Sessions
In his latest book “The Highest Calling: Conversations on the American Presidency,” David Rubenstein, renowned financier, philanthropist, and host of PBS’s History with David Rubenstein, takes a fresh look at what it means to hold the office of President of the United States. It is a role that has been shaped and defined by only 45 individuals, and one that contains a great deal of history while also sparking a number of myths. Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association, talked with Rubenstein at the Association’s new immersive space at 1700...
info_outline
97. Making the Presidential Seal
The White House 1600 Sessions
From podium plaques and flags to the doors of the presidential limo and Air Force One, it is always present: fifty stars encircling an eagle whose talons hold bundles of olive branches and arrows, and around that circle of stars, a band with the words “Seal of the President of the United States.” If you’ve ever wondered where that design came from and how those symbols are made, join Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association, on a special tour of The Institute of Heraldry at Fort Belvoir, a U.S. Army installation in Northern Virginia. The art of heraldry goes...
info_outline
96. Blair House: The President’s Guest House
The White House 1600 Sessions
Blair House, known as the president's guest house, is located mere steps from the White House. 2024 marks the bicentennial of the building of Blair House, which for 200 years has been a quiet but integral part of our nation's history. Today, Blair House is actually a complex made up of four townhouses. Originally built in 1824 for Doctor Joseph Lovell, the first Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, the Blair family purchased the property in 1837 when Francis Preston Blair became publisher of the pro-Andrew Jackson newspaper, The Washington Globe. Blair was an influential member of...
info_outline
95. Presidential Leadership Lessons
The White House 1600 Sessions
President of the United States and Commander in Chief are titles that only 45 unique men over 46 presidencies have carried since the office was established in 1789. It is a role that is continually being shaped and reshaped through each decade, presidency, personality, and each of the character traits that have defined these men. Author, historian, and attorney, Talmage Boston, set out to see what made eight of these presidents a great leader - from George Washington to Ronald Reagan - in his new book “How the Best Did It: Leadership Lessons from Our Top Presidents.” White House...
info_outline
94. The Making of President Theodore Roosevelt
The White House 1600 Sessions
Theodore Roosevelt is often thought of as the Rough Rider and the man known for quoting the proverb “Speak softly and carry a big stick….“ Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association, met with Edward O’Keefe, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation and author of the new book called to discuss another side of T.R.: the five extraordinary women without whom he may never have become the 26th President of the United States. Join Stewart and Ed as they visit Theodore Roosevelt Island, the national memorial located in Washington, D.C.’s...
info_outline
93. Washington National Cathedral and the White House
The White House 1600 Sessions
Washington National Cathedral sits atop the highest point in Washington, D.C. and is the sixth largest cathedral in the world. This splendid example of Gothic architecture is not only the home to an Episcopal congregation but a house of prayer for all people from around the United States and the world. When President George Washington commissioned Major Pierre L'Enfant in 1791 to create a plan for the new capital city, L'Enfant included in his design a great church for national purposes. The idea never happened as L'Enfant envisioned, instead it would be more than 100 years before...
info_outline
92. America's Irish Roots
The White House 1600 Sessions
Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, sits down with White House Historical Association president Stewart McLaurin to discuss the depth of America’s Irish roots. The history between Ireland and the United States goes back to the founding of America and the Revolutionary War. Irish immigrants and their descendants helped build this country, including the Irish-born James Hoban, who emigrated to the U.S. and went on to design the White House. Millions of Americans claim their Irish heritage, including half of all U.S. presidents. So, it's no surprise that the...
info_outlineJonathan Alter, journalist and author of “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life,” talks with Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, about the remarkable journey of President Jimmy Carter from peanut farmer to Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Filmed at the First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, D.C., the church home of the Carters while they lived in the White House, Stewart and Jonathan met with Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell, who showed them rare memorabilia, including the Carter family’s original membership cards, where Amy received baptism, and where the President taught adult Sunday school more than a dozen times during his presidency.
Born in Plains, Georgia on October 1, 1924, President Carter grew up without running water or electricity. Eager to leave home, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy, married, and served in the U.S. Navy. He and his young wife and kids returned to Plains to help save the family farm after his father passed away. From there, he took an interest in politics, working his way up from county boards to the Georgia State Senate to the Governor’s Mansion. Then he and Mrs. Carter launched into national politics, winning the 1976 election and moving to Washington, D.C. with their youngest child and only daughter, Amy. Known for a life of faith and service, the 39th President of the United States became the longest-lived president and half of the longest-married presidential couple in U.S. history.
Stewart and Jonathan talk about the Carters’ time in the White House and the decades-long post-presidency they spent creating The Carter Center, which works to alleviate human suffering around the world, and among many other things, building homes with Habitat for Humanity, and raising awareness about mental health and caregiving.
The Official 2024 White House Christmas Ornament features a unique design inspired by the life and presidency of Jimmy Carter. You can purchase an ornament at this link.