Jon Meacham, former editor of Newsweek, will present “God and Politics: From George Washington to Barack Obama” at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, in Graham Chapel on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis with a book signing and reception to follow.
The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is the inaugural event for WUSTL’s John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics. The center’s namesake, former U.S. senator from Missouri John C. Danforth, will deliver opening remarks along with WUSTL Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.
Meacham arrived at Newsweek in 1995 as national affairs editor. In this position, he covered some of the most significant news stories of the time, beginning with the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the impeachment process of President Bill Clinton through the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Iraq war.
He was named managing editor in November 1998 at age 29. In September 2006, he was promoted to editor.
Under his direction, Newsweek was honored with two National Magazine Award citations for general excellence.
A New York Times bestselling author, Meacham has written American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation (2006) and Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship (2003). Both have enjoyed broad appeal as well as critical praise.
Because of his broad-based knowledge of current issues, Meacham is a frequent guest on national talk shows.
Meacham’s newest biography, American Lion, is about Andrew Jackson and his White House circle. A bestseller, it was awarded the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Biography.
Meacham is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a contributing editor to The Washington Monthly.
The Danforth Center on Religion & Politics opened in January of this year. Directed by Wayne Fields, PhD, the Lynne Cooper Harvey Distinguished Professor of English in Arts & Sciences, the center focuses on the role of religion and politics in the United States.
For more information, visit rap.wustl.edu.