The Saint Mary’s department of humanistic studies announced presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin as this year’s speaker for the Christian Culture Lecture on Oct. 4.
According to a press release, Goodwin, called “America’s historian-in-chief,” will explain and analyze the U.S. presidency and discuss how Christianity has influenced governing practices during the lecture.
Goodwin, who wrote award-winning biographies about Lyndon B. Johnson, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, will tell stories "that illuminate the inner complexities of American leaders," the press release stated.
“We are thrilled and honored to welcome Doris Kearns Goodwin to Saint Mary’s,” professor of humanistic studies John Shinners said in the press release. “It’s especially exciting to have her here to share her insights just a month before the upcoming historic national election.”
According to the release, Goodwin worked with Steven Spielberg on the film "Lincoln," partially based on her book “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.” She won a Pulitzer Prize for her book “No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II.” She regularly appears on network and cable news shows, as well as daytime and late-night talk shows, and she has been a consultant for PBS and History Channel documentaries, including Ken Burns' "The Civil War."
She earned a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University and was an assistant to Johnson during the last year of his presidency.
The lecture will take place in the O’Laughlin Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free with a ticket. A book signing and reception will follow.
