By Stephanie Byrne
Photo by Jordan Wald
The White House Historical Association’s president, Stewart D. McLaurin, visited The Antiquarian Society of Birmingham to present a fascinating program titled “State Dinners and Cultural Diplomacy: Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the First State Dinner.”McLaurin, who has led the White House Historical Association since 2014, is a nationally recognized voice on the history, preservation and traditions of America’s most famous residence. Under his leadership, the association has expanded its educational programs, publications and digital resources to share the story of the White House with audiences around the world.
His recent lecture highlighted one of the most enduring traditions of presidential hospitality—the State Dinner. Since the very first State Dinner was held in 1874 during President Ulysses S. Grant’s administration to honor King Kalākaua of Hawaii, these occasions have served as more than elegant social events. They are carefully crafted evenings of cultural diplomacy, symbolizing friendship, respect and shared values between the United States and nations across the globe. Over the past 150 years, State Dinners have blended ceremony and style with history and politics. Guests have included royalty, prime ministers and world leaders, welcomed with music, fine cuisine and décor that reflect the best of American hospitality. McLaurin’s presentation explored how these dinners have not only celebrated international partnerships but also shaped the perception of the United States on the world stage. “State Dinners may seem glamorous on the surface,” McLaurin notes, “but they also carry deep diplomatic significance. They showcase American culture while honoring the dignity of our guests.”
McLaurin’s lecture offered a rare opportunity for The Antiquarian Society to hear firsthand insights from one of the country’s leading presidential historians. The White House Historical Association is a nonprofit established by First Lady Jackie Kennedy who famously hosted Charles de Gaulle at a State Dinner. Where Mrs. Kennedy was the driving force behind a brilliant act of cultural diplomacy: bringing Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece, Mona Lisa, to the American people. After convincing everyone from her husband, President John F. Kennedy and French President Charles De Gaulle, to the French Cultural Minister and the Director of the National Gallery of Art, Mona Lisa came to the United States in January 1963.
The lecture showed how sharing a meal can be both entertaining and educational, bringing history to life through stories of food, music, art china and the subtle power of diplomacy as practiced around the White House dinner table.
The Antiquarian Society of Birmingham is a women’s group established in 1944. “We honor the Old but use well the present.”
