At a previous Presidents’ Day Weekend Presidential Descendants forum on the grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida, Clifton Truman Daniel, third from left, grandson of President Harry S. Truman, elicits a reaction from left to right, discussion moderator John Avlon; Margaret Hoover, great grand-daughter of Herbert Hoover; Lynda Johnson Robb, daughter of Lyndon Johnson; Donald Nixon, nephew of Richard Nixon; and Susan Ford Bales, daughter of Gerald Ford. The theme for the upcoming February 2022 event is, “American Bipartisanship: Working Across the Aisle.” (Photo: Carol Tedesco)

Harry S. Truman Legacy Events set for February and May of 2022 

The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation is pleased to announce a series of celebratory and academic Harry S. Truman Legacy events, set to take place in February and May of 2022 across several historic venues from Key West to Miami, Florida, and back. 

In a first-time collaboration, The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation and The Society of Presidential Descendants will partner to present the annual “Presidential Families Weekend and Forum,” which will take place in Key West over Presidents’ Day Weekend in February. Centerpiece of the multi-day event is a Saturday, February 19, moderated discussion forum featuring a distinguished panel of presidential descendants, held on the elegant tropical grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House.

Scheduled descendants who will examine the topic of “American Bipartisanship: Working Across the Aisle,” are Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States; Ulysses Grant Dietz, great-great grandson of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th U.S. President; Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of 34th U.S. President General Dwight D. Eisenhower; Massee McKinley, great-great grandson of President Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th U.S. President, and great-great nephew of 25th U.S. President William McKinley; Tweed Roosevelt, great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th U.S. President; and Patricia Taft, great-granddaughter of William Howard Taft, the 27th U.S. President.

Bookending Saturday’s forum, on Friday, February 18, and Sunday, February 20, live theater performances of the highly acclaimed and long-running stage production, “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!” will have its Key West debut, notably starring Clifton Truman Daniel, the first direct descendant to portray a presidential ancestor in a stage production of this kind. 

In May, Harry S. Truman Legacy celebrations are set to resume with “Planes, Trains & Automobiles: Transporting Truman and How He Transported America,” a three-day, multi-location event that will kick off on Thursday, May 12, with a ‘Whistle Stop Welcome” and ceremony at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, home of the “Ferdinand Magellan” rail car, which famously served as a “rolling White House” for presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan. The Gold Coast Railroad Museum event is to be officiated by Clifton Truman Daniel and attended by fellow presidential descendants (to be announced) and other dignitaries.

The following day, Friday, May 13, the entourage will travel south along the Harry S. Truman Overseas Highway to Key West, where a welcome sunset cocktail reception will take place aboard the celebrated U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Ingham at the Truman Waterfront, followed by a VIP gathering at the nearby Harry S. Truman Little White House. 

On Saturday, May 14, The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation’s signature event— the Truman Legacy Symposium —will be held in Key West, where presidential descendants and distinguished experts will engage in moderated topical discussions throughout the day, followed by a cocktail reception, elegant dinner and closing presentation.

The February and May Harry S. Truman Legacy events are presented with the support of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. For scheduling, ticket, and general information visit www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events/.

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]