Semiquincentennial Speaker Series: Elizabeth Reese on James Monroe and the Marquis de Lafayette

Semiquincentennial Speaker Series: Elizabeth Reese on James Monroe and the Marquis de Lafayette

Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 6:30 pm

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

PROGRAM & RECEPTION (in-person)

$40 Non-Members  -   $30 Members

PROGRAM ONLY (virtually on Zoom)

$10 Non-Members  -   Free Members

A ZOOM link will be provided via email before the event.

The Arts Club of Washington invites you to attend an illustrated lecture on the fraternal bond between the Marquis de Lafayette and James Monroe, given by Club Member, Author and Historian Elizabeth Reese.  This is the first in a series of talks sponsored by the History Committee that highlights the nexus between our historic Clubhouse, the former home of President Monroe, and our nation's 250th anniversary.  

The lecture will discuss Monroe and Lafayette's unique friendship, forged as comrades-in-arms during the American Revolution, strengthened by the role played by James and Elizabeth Monroe in safeguarding Lafayette's wife and son during the French Revolution, and culminating in President Monroe's invitation to Lafayette to visit the United States in anticipation of the nation's fiftieth anniversary.  

Elizabeth Reese is the author of Marquis de Lafayette Returns: A Tour of America's National Capital Region (The History Press, 2024).  A Maryland native, Elizabeth has spent over a decade as an interpreter at historic sites on the East Coast, developing tours and programs for visitors of all ages at Hamilton Grange National Memorial and the United States Capitol Visitor Center.  Her work has been published in TIME, the Journal of the American Revolution, The New York Times, and can be seen on C-SPAN. Elizabeth was awarded the Scott Hartwig Public History Fellowship at the Civil War Institute in 2015 and the America 250! Commendation Medal in 2024.

Elizabeth is the Senior Manager of Public Programs & Interpretation at Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House and holds a Master of Arts in American History from Gettysburg College. She is currently working on a manuscript exploring how the actor Edwin Booth's grief transformed American theatre and contributed to national healing after the assassination of President Lincoln by Edwin's brother, John Wilkes Booth.

6:30 p.m. - Beer/Wine Open Bar

7:00 p.m. - Semiquincentennial Speaker Elizabeth Reese

7:45 p.m. - Reception with Ms. Reese

Complimentary parking after 6 pm at 2001 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.