2024 Lecture Series

On April 17th, Thomas Rath will present An Insider's Take on NH's Presidential Primary. His talk will address what's really important—and what goes on behind the scenes—at New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation Presidential primary. It will include anecdotes from his experience as a seasoned participant in and observer of New Hampshire's political scene. Thomas D. Rath served […]

Granite State Politics and First-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary: A Journalist's Perspective will be presented by James Pindell who will relate some of his experiences in reporting on New Hampshire politics and on election campaigning in the State.  In particular, Mr. Pindell will address the differences he sees between NH voters and those in other states and […]

Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, co-hosts of NHPR's podcast Civics 101, will present Civics 101: What We're Taught and What We're Not. In their podcast, McCarthy and Capodice talk about the state of civics education in America today for both school kids and adults. They will talk about what they teach, what they don’t, why […]

Polling expert, David W. Moore presents, Misreading the Public: The Failed Promise of Public Opinion Polling. He will explore the origins of “scientific” public opinion polling, with George Gallup being the iconic representative of the early pollsters whose goal was to provide the voice of the people between elections. Since then, it has become obvious that […]

Both scholars and the public remember Franklin Pierce, the only person from New Hampshire elected to the American Presidency, as one of the nation’s worst chief executives, largely because he exacerbated the sectional crisis that led to the Civil War. Pierce is often portrayed as a political lightweight without strong opinions who often served the interests […]

Athenaeum Proprietor Jack McGee presents Levi Woodbury: From 'Baby Judge' to U.S. Supreme Court (and Threshold of the White House). Born in Francestown, New Hampshire, Levi Woodbury established a legal practice there in 1812.  He was named to New Hampshire's highest court in 1816 at age 26.  In 1823 he was elected Governor of NH; […]