#115: Lindsay Chervinsky - Mourning the Presidents

When a president dies, it often feels as though a piece of the nation is gone with them. Americans are often witness to days of memorial services, eulogies, processions and burial ceremonies. But as Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Dr. Matthew Costello argue in their co-edited book, "Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture," the way a president is mourned immediately after their death often evolves as their legacy in both policy and personality become more fully understood. As society and scholarship change, so do the reputations of those who held the nation's highest office. On this episode, Dr. Chervinsky discusses the burials and historiography behind presidents who left both giant footprints, but also those who are seldom discussed today. From Washington to Taylor to Lincoln to the Roosevelts, this is an episode chock-full of reflection on what presidential loss says about our culture.

Our previous episode with Dr. Chervinsky about her book, "The Cabinet," can be found here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axelbank-reports-history-and-today/id1521053272?i=1000494574017

Dr. Chervinsky's website can be found at https://lindsaychervinsky.com

She is on social media at https://twitter.com/lmchervinsky

Dr. Matthew Costello's website at the White House Historical Association can be found at https://www.whitehousehistory.org/staff/matthew-costello

Information on their book from the University of Virginia Press can be found at https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5740/

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