Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/682431
SPRING EVENTS AT USCHS: BOOK TALKS AND ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM COMING UP T his spring, the U. S. Capitol Historical Society is plan- ning several noon book events in addition to the annual sym- posium. On ursday, March 10, author John Norris will discuss his newest book, Mary McGrory: e First Queen of Journalism, with Historian Emeritus of the Senate Don Ritchie. Cindy Gueli will dis- cuss her book on Wednesday, March 16; Lipstick Brigade: The Untold True Story of Washington's World War II Government Girls explores the roles and experiences of women government workers in Washington, DC during WWII. Finally, on Wednes- day, April 13, Mau VanDuren will talk about his work on Many Heads and Many Hands: James Madison's Search for a More Perfect Union. All talks are free and open to the public and will begin at noon in Ketchum Hall at 200 Maryland Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Pre-registration is recommended. Next, USCHS will present its annual symposium in May. is year's event is taking a broad look at immigration across U.S. history. Passed nearly thirty years ago, the Simpson-Mazzoli Act tackled the revision and reform of im- migration laws to handle both legal and illegal immigration. e symposium will use this 1986 legislation as its stopping point as speakers from around the country examine immigration and related issues through American history. e event is free and open to the public; check www.uschs.org for updates and pre-registration forms as they become available. Mary McGrory, the subject of the March 10 book talk HERE AND PG.1, THE WASHINGTONIANA COLLECTION, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LIBRARY USCHS CO-SPONSORS PRESIDENTIAL EVENTS O n 6-7 November 2015, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society partnered with the Friends of the James A. Garfield National Historic Site, the National Park Ser- vice, and numerous other academic and cultural institu- tions in beautiful northeastern Ohio for the Second Annual James A. Garfield Symposium. e collaboration was especially relevant to the USCHS's mission because the symposium's theme was "Garfield in Washington." In sessions devoted to, among other topics, the Electoral Commission of 1876 and the social life of black elites in DC, symposium participants were invited to broaden and deepen their knowledge of Garfield's public service as an important member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1863-80), before his better-known but arguably less impactful six months as president (1881). e collabora- tion also represented an innovative step towards devel- oping a "Congressional History Consortium" by which resources, programmatic events, and a limited range of benefits might be shared among USCHS and other insti- tutions and historic sites dedicated to promoting the his- tory of Congress through the lives of its former members. On December 3, USCHS joined five other organiza- tions to sponsor "Abraham Lincoln—A Press Conference." George Buss appeared as Abraham Lincoln and answered questions from past National Press Club presidents and the audience. Robert Lenz, a former Abraham Lincoln Association president, accompanied Buss and acted as Lincoln's press secretary. e event proceeded as if it were April 1865, aer the fall of Richmond but (obviously) before Lincoln's assassination. Questions and topics ranged from the role of the press, to Lincoln's personal feelings, to the Civil War and the postwar future. e event co-spon- sors included the Abraham Lincoln Associa- tion; the Illinois State Society of Washington, DC; the Lincoln Academy of Illinois; the Lin- coln Group of the District of Columbia; and the National Press Club. George Buss interprets Abraham Lincoln as former National Press Club Presidents Gilbert Klein (right) and Larry Lipman listen to him answer their questions. Robert Lenz sets the scene for the press conference attendees.