PROGRAM

Please join us at Roosevelt House as we welcome Robert Dallek, one of America’s preeminent presidential biographers, to mark the publication of his new book, Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life, focused on FDR’s unparalleled political ability as a uniter and consensus maker.

In his talk, Dallek, author of the bestselling An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963, will examine what he believes are the two remarkable insights behind FDR’s political success. Unlike any other president, Dallek argues, FDR understood that effectiveness in the American political system depended on building a national consensus and commanding stable long-term popular support. Second, he made the presidency the central, most influential institution in modern America’s political system. In Dallek’s view, FDR’s most enduring lesson in effective leadership may have been his recognition that remaining closely attentive to the full range of public sentiment was vitally important in policy-making decisions.

Publishers Weekly calls Dallek’s Franklin D. Roosevelt “a comprehensive retelling of a major American life that will rank among the standard biographies of its subject.

We hope you will join us for this important discussion.