Keuka College will mark Constitution Day with a special program exploring the role of America’s first ladies and what the U.S. Constitution does – and does not – say about their responsibilities.
The Sept. 17 presentation in the College’s Norton Chapel will be led by Professor of History Dr. Christopher Leahy and his wife, independent scholar Sharon Leahy, authors of the upcoming biography “Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler.”
The 6:30 p.m. event, which is free and open to the public, will be taped by a crew from C-SPAN for later broadcast on that network. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.
Dr. Leahy said the presentation would be centered around the theme of how the Constitution doesn’t provide guidelines for the job of first lady. The couple will use examples from their biography, to be published on Sept. 29, to illustrate the unique and unofficial duties of first ladies and how Julia Gardiner Tyler filled them as the wife of the nation’s 10th president.
“She really contributed to the evolution of the role of first lady,” said Dr. Leahy.
The presentation will also connect to Dr. Leahy’s fall history course, which focuses on the history and experiences of America’s first ladies.
Dr. Leahy is the author of the acclaimed 2020 biography, “President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler.” He also edits a new scholarly publication devoted to the influence and achievements of U.S. first ladies, the Journal of First Ladies Studies.
Sharon Leahy is a historian specializing in nineteenth-century America, particularly print culture and American first ladies. Among her published articles is an examination of Mamie Eisenhower’s dealings with prominent industrialists, which appeared in the first issue of the Journal of First Ladies Studies. Both Leahys are lifetime members of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE).
Constitution Day, observed annually on Sept. 17, commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 and provides an opportunity to reflect on the nation’s founding document and its continuing influence on American life.
