Richard Norton Smith headlining 2 presidential historian events in Eastern Iowa

Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover tour the new Hoover Presidential Library and Museum on opening day in 1962. (Hoover Library photos)

Ronald Reagan delivers a keynote address during 1992 Museum rededication at Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.

Lady Bird and Lyndon B. Johnson examine documents at the Hoover Library in 1969.

Richard Norton Smith served as director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum from 1988 to 1993 and then as director for the Eisenhower, Reagan and Ford libraries until 2001.

A nationally acclaimed presidential historian and biographer, Richard Norton Smith will provide the keynote address following a reception and dinner at Brown Deer Golf Club in Coralville on Oct. 23. Smith currently is working on a biography about President Gerald R. Ford and will discuss a segment from the book detailing the final two days of Saigon’s collapse, told with an intimacy that focuses on Ford during what he himself said was the low point of his presidency.

Smith served as director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum from 1988 to 1993 and then as director for the Eisenhower, Reagan and Ford libraries until 2001. An author of six books, he was also the founding director for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a cash bar reception followed by dinner and presentation at 6:30 p.m. Registration for dinner is required, as seats are limited. Registration closes Oct. 19. Tickets are $50 for Hoover Presidential Foundation members and their guests and $65 for the public.

The event, “An Evening with Richard Norton Smith,” is the first of two appearances Smith will make on behalf of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. On Oct. 24 at 1 p.m., Smith will join Tim Walch, Dwight Miller, and moderator Dr. Thomas Schwartz in “A Hoover Forum: Presidents Learning about Presidents.”

The speakers will examine and share stories of Presidents and First Ladies who visited the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum over the years. Six former U.S. Presidents have visited the West Branch Hoover Presidential Library, along with many other political and historical dignitaries.

This event is free with advance registration. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency ballroom in Coralville and is expected to last two hours.

Dwight Miller is a historian and archivist who began his career as assistant archivist, Manuscripts Division at the Library of Congress. In 1964, he was selected by President Hoover to serve as senior archivist at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. Among his many achievements are processing and creating finding aids for the collections. Miller also was part of the team that edited the Presidential Papers series for Herbert Hoover (6 vols.) and served as editor for two other books.

Timothy Walch began his career with the National Archives and Records Administration in 1979, holding various positions in Washington, D.C. until his appointment as assistant director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in 1988. He replaced Richard Norton Smith as director and served until his retirement in 2011. Walch is author or editor of two dozen books, the most recent being Iowa Irish (2019).

The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Thomas Schwartz, Director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum.

Advance registration is required for both events as seating is limited. These events are presented by the Hoover Presidential Foundation and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. Visit HooverPresidentialFoundation.org for details and secure, online registration.

About the Foundation

The Hoover Presidential Foundation promotes and supports the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum, National Historic Site, and other programs that enhance the understanding of Herbert Hoover as president and humanitarian.