presidential history

Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, is synonymous with the Kennedy family. It is where, for a hundred years, America’s most storied political family has come to celebrate, bond, play, and, also, grieve. Kate Storey's new book is "White House by the Sea: A Century of the Kennedys at Hyannis Port."

Only four people served at the top echelon of President Franklin Roosevelt's Administration from the frightening early months of spring 1933 until he died in April 1945, on the cusp of wartime victory. Derek Leebaert writes about his in his book, "Unlikely Heroes: Franklin Roosevelt, His Four Lieutenants, and the World They Made."

Illinois lawyer Abraham Lincoln had a record of political failure. In 1858, he had lost a celebrated Senate bid against incumbent Stephen Douglas, his second failed Senate run, and had not held public office since one term in Congress a decade earlier. As the Republican National Convention opened in mid-May 1860 in Chicago, powerful New York Senator William Seward was the overwhelming favorite for the presidential nomination, with notables like Salmon Chase and Edward Bates in the running. Few thought Lincoln stood a chance.

Before the consecutive two-term administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, there had only been one other trio of its type: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe.Kevin R. C. Gutzman’s "The Jeffersonians" is a complete chronicle of the men, known as The Virginia Dynasty, who served as president from 1801 to 1825 and implemented the foreign policy, domestic, and constitutional agenda of the radical wing of the American Revolution, setting guideposts for later American liberals to follow.

In January 1973, Richard Nixon had just been inaugurated after winning re-election in a historic landslide. He enjoyed an almost 70 percent approval…

Whether you’re a history buff, hobbyist or collector, the Albany Political Memorabilia show and sale on Saturday offers a chance to remember bygone campaigns.

In "Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR’s 1936 Landslide Victory and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal" historian David Pietrusza provides an original, and authoritative account of an election, a president, and a country at a crossroads.

John F. Kennedy entered office inexperienced but alluring, his reputation more given by an enamored public than earned through achievement. "Incomparable Grace: JFK in the Presidency"(Dutton) is a new assessment of his time in the Oval Office. Presidential historian Mark K. Updegrove reveals how JFK’s first months were marred by setbacks: the botched Bay of Pigs invasions, a disastrous summit with the Soviet premier, and a mismanaged approach to the Civil Rights movement. But the young president soon proved that behind the glamour was a leader of uncommon fortitude and vision.

Jon Marshall is an associate professor in the journalism program at Northwestern University's Medill School in Evanston, Illinois. His new book, "Clash," explores the political, economic, social, and technological forces that have shaped the relationship between U.S. presidents and the press during times of crisis.

Does George Washington still matter? Bestselling author Nathaniel Philbrick argues for Washington's unique contribution to the forging of America by retracing his journey as a new president through all thirteen former colonies. His book “Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy” is available in paperback.