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UID:94@portsmouthathenaeum.org
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260520T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260520T183000
DTSTAMP:20260508T011025Z
URL:https://portsmouthathenaeum.org/events/2026-lecture-series-first-in-th
 e-nation-from-the-beginning-with-judge-william-delker/
SUMMARY:2026 Lecture Series: "First in the Nation from the Beginning" with 
 Judge William Delker
DESCRIPTION:In the spring and summer of 1775\, tensions between New Hampshi
 re colonists and royal Governor John Wentworth escalated to the point that
  Governor Wentworth fled the colony out of fear for his own and his family
 's safety. In response\, New Hampshire patriots elected a provincial congr
 ess to serve as a provisional government. That body\, however\, had no off
 icial authority until the Continental Congress in Philadelphia granted New
  Hampshire permission to form a government. Thus\, on January 5\, 1776\, N
 ew Hampshire became the first colony to adopt a constitution of its own. T
 he lecture will explain how the 1776 Constitution was drafted\, the signif
 icance of that document\, and its relationship to New Hampshire's permanen
 t constitution adopted in 1784.\n\nHon. N. William Delker is Associate Jus
 tice for the New Hampshire Superior Court\, to which he was appointed Augu
 st 2011. Judge Delker was the Supervisory Judge for Rockingham County Supe
 rior Court from July 2014 until December 2019 when he transferred to the H
 illsborough Superior Court-North in Manchester to fill a vacancy there. In
  April 2022\, he was appointed as the Supervisory Judge of that court. Jud
 ge Delker is an active member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on R
 ules\, the Judicial Conduct Committee\, the N.H. Lawyer's Assistance Progr
 am Board of Trustees\, the N.H. Bar Association Leadership Academy\, and C
 hairman of the Superior Court Law Clerk Committee. He has been actively in
 volved in civics education with area schools and teaches Remedies and Stat
 e Constitutional Law as an adjunct professor at the UNH Franklin Pierce La
 w School. Prior to joining the bench\, Judge Delker was a Senior Assistant
  Attorney General in the NH Attorney General's Office\, where he worked as
  a prosecutor for 13 years. He founded the NH Cold Case Unit\, prosecuted 
 white collar and public integrity crimes\, and worked in the appellate uni
 t. He earned his J.D. summa cum laude from American University's Washingto
 n College of Law and his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from the Uni
 versity of Massachusetts at Amherst.\n\nFor the 2026 Lecture Series "The S
 pirit of 1776: Revolution\, Constitution\, Independence\," each program be
 gins at 5:30 p.m. in the Shaw Research Library (unless otherwise noted). R
 eservations for each program are required as seating is limited. If unable
  to keep a reservation\, please call again to release the seat for someone
  else. Attendance at programs is free for Athenæum Proprietors\, Subscrib
 ers and Friends. Guests and members of the public are welcome to attend th
 e entire series by becoming a Friend of the Athenæum for as little as $25
  per year\, payable at the door. Admission to an individual program is $15
 .\n\nBelow is the livestream link.\n\n\n\n&nbsp\;\n\nRegistration Informat
 ion Online registration is available until 24 hours before the event. To r
 eserve any remaining spots after that time\, please call us at (603) 431-2
 538.\n\nNOTE: You will receive a confirmation email upon completing your r
 egistration. If you do not receive one\, please check your spam/junk folde
 r. If you have any questions\, contact events@portsmouthathenaeum.org.\n\n
 \n\nMembers: FREE\nProprietors\, Subscribers\, and Friends may attend this
  event for free. Membership at the Proprietor and Subscriber levels includ
 es one complimentary spouse/partner guest pass.\nNon-Members: $15\nAdmissi
 on to a single event.\nFriend Membership: $25\nThis annual membership incl
 udes free admission for one person to the yearly lecture series.\n\n\n\nTh
 e 2026 lecture series is sponsored by Whole Wealth Management.
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://portsmouthathenaeum.org/wp-content/uploa
 ds/2026/03/william-delker-talk.png
CATEGORIES:Discussions,Lecture Series
LOCATION:Portsmouth Athenaeum\, 9 Market Square\, Portsmouth\, NH\, 03801\,
  United States
GEO:43.07725;-70.75778
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