“Presidential Descendants Forum” is centerpiece of Presidents’ Day Weekend Events at Harry S. Truman Little White House
On Saturday, February 17, 2024, the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, in partnership with The Society of Presidential Descendants, is set to present six descendants of U.S. presidents who will engage in a moderated panel discussion on the grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House, 111 Front Street, Key West, Florida. An annual ticketed event that takes place before a live audience, the “Presidential Descendants Forum” is the largest Presidents’ Day Weekend gathering of presidential descendants in the country.
Scheduled to discuss the topic, “Political Maneuvering: The Powerful Influence of the Presidency,” are James Carter, grandson of 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter; Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman; Ulysses Grant Dietz, great-great-grandson of 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant; Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower; Massee McKinley, great-great grandson of 22nd and 24th U.S. President Grover Cleveland; and Patricia Taft, great-granddaughter of 27TH U.S. President William H. Taft.
Dr. Kurt Graham, Director of Independence, Missouri’s federally operated Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, will serve as moderator.
The Harry S. Truman Little White House, where President Truman spent 11 working vacations during his 1945-1953 administration, is Florida’s only presidential museum. In the past, the property has also hosted presidents Jimmy Carter, Dwight Eisenhower, William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Bill Clinton.
Forum tickets are $40 each for Harry S. Truman Foundation members, $60 for non-members. The forum discussion begins at 4:30pm, with doors and cash bar opening at 4:00pm. Following the forum, winners of the Monroe County student essay competition will be announced, after which attendees can mingle and enjoy cocktails on the lawn.
Other Presidents’ Day Weekend events at the Little White House take place from Feb. 15 through Feb. 19 and include “Happy Hour at Harry’s,” a cocktails and presidential trivia competition evening, two live performances of the highly acclaimed stage production, “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!”, a presentation by renowned artist Tom Corbin, creator of the monumental Harry S Truman bronze sculpture on display in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C., and a traditional Presidents’ Day Cookout.
Presidents’ Day Weekend events at the Harry S. Truman Little White House are presented with the support of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. For tickets and information visit www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.
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About the panel participants:
James Earl Carter IV, grandson of 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter, was born in 1977 during the first few months of President Carter’s time in office. James is a lifelong student of political science, both in the United States and abroad. He has worked on numerous U.S. political campaigns and has participated in election observations with The Carter Center in countries like Nigeria and Indonesia, among others. Inspired by his grandfather’s relationship with the country of Panama, James worked as an independent consultant for the government of Panama, writing grants for the Ministry of Social Development. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Policy with a concentration in Public Management and Governance from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, and is the owner and founder of Carter Research, a political research firm based in Atlanta.
Clifton Truman Daniel is the oldest grandson of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman and his wife, Bess. He is the son of author Margaret Truman and former New York Times Managing Editor E. Clifton Daniel Jr. He was a founding member and serves as Vice President for the Society of Presidential Descendants; is honorary chairman of the board of the Truman Library Institute, nonprofit partner of the Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, MO; and board secretary of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. Author of “Growing Up With My Grandfather: Memories of Harry S. Truman” and “Dear Harry, Love Bess: Bess Truman’s Letters to Harry Truman, 1919-1943,” Clifton Truman Daniel is currently portraying his grandfather in the one-man stage show, “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!”, as well as writing and lecturing on the Truman presidency.
Ulysses Grant Dietz is the great-great-grandson of 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, the first U.S. President to visit Key West. Ulysses grew up in Syracuse, New York, where he reports his “Leave it to Beaver” life was enlivened by a fascination with vampires, from Bela Lugosi to Barnabas Collins. He studied French at Yale (BA, 1977), and was trained to be a museum curator in the University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program in American Material Culture (MA, 1980). His late mother, Julia, was the President’s last living great-grandchild; youngest daughter of Ulysses S. Grant III, and granddaughter of the president’s eldest son, Frederick. Every year on April 27 he gives a speech at Grant’s Tomb in New York City. He is also on the board of the U.S. Grant Presidential Library and Museum at Mississippi State University. A decorative arts curator at the Newark Museum for thirty-seven years before he retired, Ulysses has authored books on Victorian furniture, art pottery, studio ceramics, jewelry, and the White House, along with fiction novels “Desmond,” “Vampire in Suburbia,” and “Cliffhanger.” Ulysses lives in New Jersey with his husband of 45 years. They have two grown children, adopted in 1996.
Mary Jean Eisenhower is a granddaughter of 34th U.S. President General Dwight D. and Mamie Eisenhower. Born in Washington, D.C. during Eisenhower’s first term in office, she was christened in the Blue Room of the White House, and grew up in nearby Gettysburg, PA. She attended several schools in PA until her father, John Eisenhower, was named as US Ambassador to Belgium, where she lived with her family from 1969 through 1972. Ms. Eisenhower served as a Fellow at Stanford University and at The Churchill Foundation at Westminster College, and is president and chairman emeritus of People to People International. A global humanitarian, she has traveled to more than 75 countries, visiting demining teams and Peace Camps while supporting student and cultural programs. Mary Jean sits on the board of trustees for the Society of Presidential Descendants, holds three honorary doctorate degrees, and has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Knight of Peace Award from the International University in Assisi, Italy; the Medal of Honor from the Slovak Republic; The Harry S. Truman Award for Public Service; the Consular Corps Award of Excellence, and others.
Massee McKinley is the great-great grandson of 22nd and 24th U.S. President Grover Cleveland, and great-great nephew of 25th U.S. President William McKinley. He is a founding member and serves as vice president and chief of staff of the Society of Presidential Descendants. He holds an MBA from the Terry College of Business of the University of Georgia, and is the founding partner of Peerage Communications, LLC, an executive and political communications boutique consulting firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Massee has written for the likes of Delta Airlines, The Coca-Cola Company, LVMH (Louis Vuitton), Hermès and Ferragamo, as well as for three former United States House Speakers.
Patricia Taft is great-granddaughter of 27th U.S. President and 10th Chief Justice William Howard Taft, and granddaughter of Senior Senator, Robert A. Taft Sr. She is a Cum Laude graduate of Vanderbilt University and holds a Master of Arts Degree in Interior Architecture. Following fashion and design careers in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, she is now principal designer and owner of the bicoastal interior design firm, “Patricia Taft Studio.” Patricia is a political enthusiast and fervid proponent of preservation and education of U.S. presidential history and democracy, and sits on the board of trustees for the Society of Presidential Descendants. She holds immense passion for maintaining the important legacy of American First Ladies, such as her great-grandmother Helen Herron Taft, and annually looks forward to celebrating her legacy and critical role in bringing Washington D.C.’s many cherry blossom trees into fruition through the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Patricia resides in Santa Monica, CA, with her husband Chris Swaine, two daughters, and French bulldog, Pascal.
Dr. Kurt Graham, moderator of the 2024 “Presidential Descendants Forum,” is director of Independence, Missouri’s federally operated Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum and author of the book “To Bring Law Home: The Federal Judiciary.” With extensive experience in the library/museum world, his background also includes serving as director of the McCracken Research Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, and as director of the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has a Ph.D. in American History from Brown University, a B.A. and an M.A. from Brigham Young University in English and American Studies, and previously taught undergraduate and graduate courses in American political and legal/constitutional history at California State University, San Bernardino.
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