Celebrating President Wilson's Centennial

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In celebration of the 100th anniversary of President Woodrow Wilson's inauguration, the Wilson Center held a number of events aimed at generating discussion of Wilson's legacy. Highlights from the centennial included the unveiling of a brand new memorial exhibit and learning center, a dinner at the Woodrow Wilson House featuring a discussion between Jane Harman and Congressman Ed Royce, a luncheon at the State Department featuring author Scott Berg and TV pundit Chris Matthews, two panel discussions on Wilson’s foreign and domestic policies featuring Brent Scowcroft, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Alan Greenspan, and Walter Isaacson, and a reception at Statuary Hall featuring House Speaker John Boehner, Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Re-opening of Presidential Memorial Exhibit and Learning Center

Former Ambassador Joseph Gildenhorn, Wilson Center President & CEO Jane Harman and “Woody” cut the ribbon on the new Woodrow Wilson Presidential Memorial Exhibit and Learning Center on Tuesday, June 4.

The event, held in the Wilson Center’s memorial hallway, featured remarks by Ambassador Gildenhorn and Diane Tucker, director of the center’s Serious Games Initiative. In attendance were the Wilson Center’s board of directors, Wilson council, staff and friends.

The opening of the new exhibit helps celebrate the centennial of Woodrow Wilson’s Presidency by allowing visitors to connect with Wilson’s story like never before. With multi-touch displays, visitors to the exhibit are able to interact with the information around them and explore global issues while following President Wilson’s life on a digital road map. The Exhibit is open Monday-Friday, 9- 5pm, and is free to the public.

Reception and Dinner at the Woodrow Wilson House

On the evening of June 4 at the Woodrow Wilson House, Jane Harman had a one-on-one interview on U.S. foreign Policy with the Honorable Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. In a dramatization, David Rubenstein, co-founder of The Carlyle Group, read an imagined letter from Woodrow Wilson to the present day. A luncheon at the State Department was followed by a video welcome from President Barack Obama. Chris Matthews interviewed Pulitzer Prize-winning author Scott Berg on his forthcoming biography, Wilson.

A Conversation on Woodrow Wilson’s Policies

Two panels discussed Woodrow Wilson’s foreign and domestic policies, followed by Q & A from the audience.

Foreign Policy Panel

Keynote Remarks by:
• Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.)
  Former National Security Advisor to Presidents
  Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush

Panelists:
• Erez Manela
  Professor of History, Harvard University

• Michael Kazin
  Professor of History, Georgetown University

Moderated by:
• Anne-Marie Slaughter
  Professor of Politics and former Dean,
  Woodrow Wilson School of Public and
  International Affairs, Princeton University

Click Here to Read The Transcript

Domestic Policy Panel

Keynote Remarks by:
• The Hon. Alan Greenspan
  Former Chairman, U.S. Federal Reserve

Panelists:
• Elisabeth Griffith
  American Historian and author of
  In Her Own Right: The Life of
  Elizabeth Cady Stanton

• David Levering Lewis
  Julius Silver Professor of History,
  New York University

Moderated by:
• Walter Isaacson
  Author, President & CEO of the Aspen Institute

Click Here to Read The Transcript

Reception at Statuary Hall

The Hons. John Boehner, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi hosted a panel discussion with House Members on the legacy of Woodrow Wilson. Following opening remarks by Jane Harman these House Members paid tribute to President Woodrow Wilson:

• The Hon. John A. Boehner
  Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
• The Hon. Mitch McConnell
  Republican Leader, U.S. Senate
• The Hon. Nancy Pelosi
  Democratic Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
• A. Scott Berg
  Pulitzer Prize-winning American author of forthcoming biography, Wilson
• The Hon. Rush D. Holt, Jr.
  Democratic Representative from New Jersey
• The Hon. Leonard Lance
  Republican Representative from New Jersey
• The Hon. James H. Billington
  Librarian of Congress and Former Director, The Wilson Center