The New Hampshire Historical Society is offering a five-part history course, “John Gilbert Winant: Citizen of Concord, Citizen of the World.” Classes will be held at the Society, 30 Park St., on Thursdays from April 23 through May 21, at 5 p.m.
Winant was a state, national and international leader during the 1930s and 40s and one of the most interesting figures to emerge from New Hampshire. Lynne Olson’s book, Citizens of London, has helped to fuel renewed interest in this complex and fascinating man.
Educated at St. Paul’s School, governor of New Hampshire during the Depression, a close ally of Franklin D. Roosevelt, first leader of the Social Security Administration, head of the International Labor Organization in Geneva, and ambassador to England during the height of the London Blitz, Winant’s career was one of national and international accomplishment.
Class topics and speakers are: April 23 – Topic: an overview of Winant’s biography with emphasis on his time at St. Paul’s School, where the alumni are known as pelicans after the school mascot. Speaker: Berkley Latimer, Emeritus Faculty, St. Paul’s School; April 30 – Topic: New Hampshire’s Most Charismatic Governor. Speaker: R. Stuart Wallace, Professor of History at NHTI and former director of the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources, the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium, and the New Hampshire Historical Society; May 7 – Topic: Progressive Pioneer of Social Justice. Speaker: Robert Macsieski, Associate Professor of History, University of New Hampshire; May 14 – Topic: The Yanks are Coming: John Winant, World War II Ambassador to the Court of St. James. Speaker: Richard Hesse, Professor Emeritus, University of New Hampshire School of Law; May 21 –Topic/Speakers: A Life of Consequence: Winant’s Impact on the Nation and World, panel discussion with all previous course presenters.
The registration fee for the five-part history course, “John Gilbert Winant: Citizen of Concord, Citizen of the World,” is $60 for New Hampshire Historical Society members and $75 for nonmembers. The registration form is available at nhhistory.org/calendar.html or by calling Stephanie Fortin at 856-0604.
