Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture

by Lindsay M. Chervinsky (Editor), Matthew Costello (Contributor), White Burkett Miller Center (Contributor)

The death of a chief executive, regardless of the circumstances―sudden or expected, still in office or decades later―is always a moment of reckoning and reflection. Mourning the Presidents brings together renowned and emerging scholars to examine how different generations and communities of Americans have eulogized and remembered US presidents since George Washington’s death in 1799. Over twelve individually illuminating chapters, this volume offers a unique approach to understanding American culture and politics by uncovering parallels between different generations of mourners, highlighting distinct experiences, and examining what presidential deaths can tell us about societal fissures at various critical points in the nation’s history, right up to the present moment.

Genres: History

332 pages, Paperback

Published February 20, 2023

Reviews

[Lindsay McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was phenomenal and a part of history that I never really knew much about! I loved the diverse voices of the authors of each chapter and it was interesting to hear each of them take a different spin on the main theme of legacy and mourning. The through line of the book was beautiful and it really came together for me and I felt like I learned a lot. All of the authors did a nice job covering the man behind the presidency, the highlights of their career, and how their death impacted our country. The main theme was legacy and how the way we perceive their impact on our nation can ebb and flow with the times. It was a great insight into the way that our country tells the stories of history too. It is one of my favorite nonfiction reads!

[Rosie]

A phenomenally well thought out edited volume with an introduction that ties it all together. New looks at mourning and remembering Presidents after their death with a particular focus on race.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has united a group of historians who have reflected on the ways that Americans have mourned and remembered twelve different U.S. presidents. The passionate public response to the passing of George H.W. Bush in 2018 helped to convince scholars that the time had come for a study of mourning rituals beginning with George Washington in 1799. Thus the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University teamed up with the White House Historical Association to hold a 2021 workshop for authors selected to write the chapters of a more than two century long examination. The workshop culminated in this book. Each author succeeds in making clear the spectacle that the public made of each president's death, from the military processions alongside the casket, to the gun salutes, to the wearing of black clothes, to the streams of letters that flowed to family members. This was what Washington did not want, but which he and his successors have nonetheless received. The chapters differ from each other in explaining how the public has remembered each president, however. One author is a descendent of Peter Hemings, an enslaved person at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello plantation, and explains that the perspectives of African-Americans have shaped the memory of Jefferson over time. Brandon Robinson does an especially good job in his chapter on Andrew Johnson of explaining how historians and the public have taken a more sour view of his leadership since the Dunning School of scholarship fell out of favor. Meanwhile, Sharron Wilkins Conrad focuses her chapter on the ways that African-Americans took an especially sentimental view of John F. Kennedy's leadership and believed that he died for their cause of civil rights. All of this indicates that despite the efforts of presidents to plan for their funerals and shape their own legacies, which the authors also touch upon, the book is ultimately about the American people. The people have the power to shape the ways that they remember their leaders. This book is therefore an intriguing cultural history of the United States from 1799 to 2018, and not only presidents. I think if I could add two chapters to the book, I would add chapters on Harry Truman and Richard Nixon because I am intrigued how their reputations have shifted over time. But knowing the space limitations of the book, I am impressed with the thoughtful job each author has done on twelve different presidents.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because another one of Chervinsky’s books is in my TBR list, but this one - a signed one - was in an independent bookstore I visited.

Pretty interesting. Most of the entries are about both the mourning and legacy of twelve U.S. presidents. I was more interested in the mourning aspects.

The piece on Andrew Jackson gives great detail on the eulogies offered for months throughout the country in the months after his death which included both praise and apprehensions about Jackson as a man and president.

The piece on Lincoln really delved into how the Black population in the north grieved and worried about what it meant to the future they hoped would be better for them.

Hoover’s chapter did point out the difficulties in positively eulogizing a men who greatly contributed to the Great Depression while acknowledging his contributions before his presidency.

The Kennedy entry centered on the importance of Kennedy and his death on Black Americans.

I was glad to see some of Reagan’s controversies discussed - IRAN-Contra, his dismissal of the AIDS crisis, the growing disparity between the wealthy and all others - but I felt it played too strongly in Reagan’s favor.

And George W. Bush? Huh? That was a bit odd and it was all praises, probably because the director of his presidential library composed it.

I would’ve liked a note for each contributor - who they are. Also, how about Nixon? His legacy is pretty interesting.

[Regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an exceptional read. I heard one of the authors speaking about the book a year or so ago and was fascinated by what they had to say about it. It's a unique telling of the history of the deaths and aftermath of several presidents -- generally the most well known. They essayists went in depth about some of each president's history, what they died from, how the funerals were handled, in many cases how the African American population reacted and thought and the aftermath -- like how what they set in motion continued on and in some cases they were better known for what benefit came after than what happened while they were in office.

Anyway, after hearing about the book I did request my library to order it -- what they usually do is if you request a book by an author or in this case, like from the Miller Center, they will then order everything that author has written or publisher like the Miller Center, has published. I feel that opens the door for more sales for the author than just me buying one book and provides knowledge of the book to a wider audience. My local library has a website where you can track and comment on your books and I'm happy to say I have a number of followers who then seem to check out what I've read (and vice versa when I see what others have read).

This was a fabulous read.

[Nicholas Cardenas · Rating 5 out of 5]

These essays took different approaches from different historians and connected the process of grieving in a way not typically seen. The selection of presidents works very well and brings a necessary conversation to the historical discussion of president. Some were cut down in the middle of their presidency while others passed within a decade. But those presidents who survived long enough to change their legacy allow for a different type of historiography that makes you think what people should reflect on at the death of a president. Highly recommended.

[The History Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and educational look at how we as a nation handle grieving our leaders. I love how the essays look at different presidents throughout the years, detailing the changes as mourning traditions evolve. It's a must-read for presidential history enthusiasts like me!