Join us by the fireplace for the sixth edition of the series, Fireside Chats: Exploring the Roosevelt Legacy. Host Paul Sparrow will welcome Edwin S. Grosvenor, author and Editor-in-Chief of American Heritage, for a conversation about the importance of studying history, and why all great presidents were deeply knowledgeable about the birth and development of the great American experiment.

Franklin Roosevelt was a passionate student of history. Beginning at a young age he collected books and manuscripts about American history, and amassed a private collection of 22,000 books, mostly concerning either military or natural history. His particular passion was naval history, especially the “age of fighting sail” and the War of 1812. He owned 72 biographies of Captain John Paul Jones, and at the time of his death, held more than 70,000 pages of rare naval manuscripts and documents dating back to the mid-18th century.

Edwin Grosvenor has authored nine books and is the great-grandson of Alexander Graham Bell. He purchased the venerable American Heritage brand in 2007 and has continued its publication, now in digital form, of award-winning essays on all aspects of the history of the United States. The original magazine first came out in 1947 and then in 1954 began publishing a hard-cover version which adorned the bookcases of millions of Americans during the second half of the 20th century. Many world class authors have had their work appear, including David McCullough, Barbara Tuchman, Laura Hillenbrand, and Stephen Ambrose. Mr. Grosvenor has shared his expertise in lectures at the Smithsonian, and in appearances on CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, The History Channel, and many other outlets.

President Franklin Roosevelt broadcast his first Fireside Chat on March 12th, 1933, just eight days after his inauguration. During his 12 years in office he delivered dozens of Fireside Chats, guiding America through the Great Depression, and guiding a global audience through the horrors of World War Two. FDR’s Fireside Chats were a new form of political communication, using radio to connect with Americans in an intimate setting – right in their living rooms. His compelling and persuasive broadcasts encouraged Americans to believe in democracy and its future. Paul Sparrow, a nationally recognized expert on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the former director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, hosts this series of programs that build on the foundation laid by FDR’s Fireside Chats, and find their relevance to our world today.

This series is moderated by Paul Sparrow, a nationally recognized expert on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the former director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. He has written articles and blogs on them, and has appeared on the CBS Evening News, CNN, CSPAN, the History Channel, and the Washington Post’s Presidential podcast.

NOTE: seating is limited so registration is required.