Nationally renowned Lincoln scholar and author Harold Holzer will speak on the topic of “Why Lincoln Matters,” on Sunday, September 29th, at 4 p.m., at The Keeler Tavern Museum’s Garden House, 132 Main Street, Ridgefield.
Holzer, who has authored, co-authored or edited 46 books about the nation’s 16th president and the Civil War era, will engage the audience in exploring the connections many Americans have felt—real and imagined, political and emotional—to Abraham Lincoln. His remarks on the 29th will explain how Lincoln’s actions and words have been interpreted and used by politicians and thought leaders up to the present day, “often seeking to consecrate their own policies with his imagined blessing, sometimes inspiringly, sometimes ludicrously,” according to Holzer.
Harold Holzer is Chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, official successor organization of the U. S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, which he co-chaired for nine years, appointed by President Bill Clinton. His most recent book, The Civil War in 50 Objects, tells the story of the war through the collections of the New-York Historical Society, for which he serves as a Roger Hertog Fellow. Holzer’s How Abraham Lincoln Ended Slavery in America (2012) is the official young-adult companion book for the Steven Spielberg film Lincoln, for which he served as script consultant.
Holzer lectures throughout the nation. One of his programs, “Lincoln Seen and Heard,” with actor Sam Waterston, has been staged and broadcast from such venues as the White House, the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, the Clinton Presidential Library, the Library of Congress, and Ford’s Theatre. Holzer also appears frequently on C-SPAN and the History Channel, and served as an on-air commentator on PBS, NBC, the BBC, and the National Geographic Network
In his full-time professional career, Holzer serves as Senior Vice President for Public Affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he has spent the last 20 years.
Reservations to attend his lecture and the wine and hors d’oeuvres reception that follows, both of which are limited-capacity events, may be made online at keelertavernmuseum.org or by calling the Museum at (203) 438-5485. Fees are $50 for the lecture and reception ($35 for Museum members and students) and $25 for the lecture only ($20 for Museum members, $15 for students). Free parking is available on site.
