Local Author Lecture: The Cabinet

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The City of Alexandria

Join us September 17 at 7 p.m. via Zoom for a lecture with local author Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky and her new book, The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution.

The US Constitution did not create the president's cabinet—the delegates to the Constitutional Convention explicitly rejected the idea. But faced with unprecedented diplomatic, constitutional, and domestic challenges, President George Washington concluded he couldn't make decisions alone. Two-and-a-half years into his presidency, Washington convened the first cabinet meeting with some famous historic figures: Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Knox, and Edmund Randolph. Over the next several years, they provided crucial support and advice, as Washington established cabinet precedent. Every president since Washington has followed his example and met with a cabinet, sometimes with mixed results - cabinet secretaries have brokered diplomacy, almost caused wars, and everything in between. The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution explains how Washington formed this powerful institution and why its legacy is so important.

Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky is Scholar in Residence at the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona College and Senior Fellow at the International Center for Jefferson Studies. Previously, she was a historian at the White House Historical Association and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. She received her B.A. in history and political science from the George Washington University, and completed her masters and Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. She is the author of the award-winning The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution, which was published by Harvard University Press on April 7, 2020. She is an expert in the cabinet, presidential history, and U.S. government institutions. When she’s not writing, researching, or speaking about history, she loves to hike with her husband and her dog, John Quincy Dog Adams.

The lecture is sponsored by the Office of Historic Alexandria and tickets are $6. Guests will receive an email with the Zoom meeting link, Meeting ID, and password by noon on September 17. Ticket sales will close at 4 p.m.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact liz.williams@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.4242, Virginia Relay 711.