Admiral Bill McRaven writes about Harry Truman and the principle behind the sign on his desk: the buck stops here. Truman inherited the presidency with 82 days as vice president, no briefing on the Manhattan Project, and a war still raging on two fronts.

Without ever holding elected office, Eleanor Roosevelt redefined the role of first lady from gracious helpmate to public advocate, spending half of each year crossing the country to see the Depression firsthand and bringing what she learned back to the White House.

The Study (North Dakota) has a lineup of upcoming online conversations exploring the lives and legacies of American presidents, featuring leading historians, authors, and scholars. All conversations will be moderated by Dr. Colleen Shogan:

Geoffrey C. Ward and @kenlburns.bsky.social write about Franklin D. Roosevelt and the political force of durable optimism. FDR entered office in 1933 with one in four Americans out of work, 9,000 banks failed, and public confidence collapsing.

Nancy Beck Young writes about Lou Henry Hoover and a philosophy of service that ran quietly through the worst years of the Depression. A Stanford-trained geologist and lifelong advocate for the Girl Scouts, Lou merged hospitality with reform long before entering the White House.

1/ 🐄 Did you know that a cow once grazed on the White House lawn? In this RR short take, John Bridgeland, the Co-Chair of @inpursuitusa.bsky.social and the founder of More Perfect, recalls how Nellie Taft secured a cow to live on the White House grounds.

George H. Nash writes about Herbert Hoover and a career that outlasted its defining defeat. Hoover entered office in 1928 as one of the most admired men in the world, then presided over the Great Depression and left the White House a virtual pariah.

Happy to say that the @inpursuitusa.bsky.social podcast is now fully integrated into the In Pursuit Substack. Here's your one stop shop for both the audio and video version of the pod. Happy listening/watching! inpursuit.substack.com/podcast

Dr. Colleen Shogan writes about Grace Coolidge and the political power of authenticity in a decade defined by cynicism and scandal. Grace never sought public life, but her warmth and openness cut against the reserved image of her husband and the eroded trust left by the Harding administration.

1/ Thank you to @people.com and @tvinsider.com for mentioning Retro Report's documentary special, "In Pursuit: Lessons of American Leadership," based on @inpursuitusa.bsky.social by More Perfect, airing Oct. 27th at 10/9c on @pbs.org. Read more:

Inside PBS’ Fall Schedule, Including Several Fan Favorite Masterpiece Mystery Shows

The PBS fall 2026 schedule includes a variety of scripted shows, docuseries and documentaries, in addition to some final seasons. Here’s everything to know about the PBS fall 2026 schedule.

people.com

Amity Shlaes writes about Calvin Coolidge and the political value of restraint. Coolidge inherited the presidency after Warren Harding's sudden death, with the country carrying wartime debt, high unemployment, and a scandal about to break in Teapot Dome.

Jennifer Taylor writes about Florence Harding and the political power of visibility in the first years after women won the vote. Mrs. Harding became the first future first lady photographed casting a ballot, and she carried that instinct for public presence into the White House.

Robert Costa writes about Warren Harding and how showing mercy became an unexpected act of political courage. He recounts Harding’s decision to release Eugene Debs from prison, despite their strong differences, and Harding’s belief that dissent did not amount to sedition.

Rebecca Roberts writes about Edith Wilson and the quiet mechanics of power when the public isn't meant to see it. Edith arrived in the White House as a second wife with no political on-ramp, but she quickly stepped into a more visible role than any first lady before her.

Patricia O’Toole writes about Woodrow Wilson and a presidency that reshaped American economic policy and the country’s role in the world.

1/ The executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library, Lindsay Chervinsky, shares how John Quincy Adams’ years as a diplomat shaped his influence on future presidents’ approach to foreign policy in this short by Retro Report, based on @inpursuitusa.bsky.social, for @pbs.org.

John M. Bridgeland writes about Helen “Nellie” Taft, a First Lady who expanded the role beyond ceremony. She advised her husband, joined him in the inaugural procession, and treated the White House and Washington’s public spaces as places for civic life.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. writes about William Howard Taft and a public career that did not end with a failed presidency. After finishing third in the 1912 election, Taft returned to law and public service before becoming the only former president to serve as Chief Justice.

Tomorrow at 12:00pm ET, Colleen Shogan joins presidential historian Stephen Knott for a Substack Live conversation on his new book, Conspirator in Chief, tracing the long history of conspiracy theories in the American presidency.

IN PURSUIT: LESSONS OF AMERICAN LEADERSHIP, a new documentary special produced by Retro Report, based on @inpursuitusa.bsky.social by More Perfect, will premiere Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, at 10 p.m. ET (check local listings) on @pbs.org, PBS.org, and the PBS app: retroreport.org/articles/in-...

Edward F. O’Keefe writes about Edith Roosevelt and a First Lady who reshaped both the White House and the way power moved through it. She oversaw the creation of the West Wing, expanded its social operation and became one of Theodore Roosevelt’s closest advisers.

President Bill Clinton writes about Theodore Roosevelt and a presidency defined by conservation, worker protections, civil service reform and checks on concentrated power. Roosevelt expanded the role of government and the meaning of “We the People,” while leaving much of that work unfinished.

Michelle Gullion writes about Ida McKinley, the only First Lady to serve while living with epilepsy. Before entering the White House, Ida and William McKinley lost both of their daughters—one in infancy, the other at age three.

Karl Rove writes about William McKinley and the political work of unifying a country that had spent three decades stuck in gridlock. McKinley entered a Gilded Age defined by contested elections, purged congressional seats, and unresolved Civil War divisions.

Folks: Tomorrow night (7/23) at 7 pm ET, I'll be talking with historians Christopher J. Leahy and Sharon Williams Leahy about their new book, "Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler" for @inpursuitusa.bsky.social I learned a lot and you will too! www.youtube.com/live/wtfTfzh...

Presidentess: First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler with Christopher & Sharon Leahy

YouTube video by In Pursuit USA

youtube.com

Nancy Kegan Smith writes about Caroline Harrison and the kind of leadership that happens through stewardship. Caroline arrived at a White House overrun by rats and disrepair, and left it a functioning institution with a documented history.

Evan Thomas writes about Benjamin Harrison and the case for competence over charisma. Harrison is remembered, if at all, as a cold and unmemorable figure, but his administration shaped the country in real ways.

Andrew Mangino writes about Frances Folsom Cleveland and the strange new power that arrived when America learned how to mass-produce a famous face. Married in the White House at 21, Frances found her likeness on soap wrappers, candy tins, and playing cards across the country, none of it authorized.

Troy Senik writes about Grover Cleveland and a career built on the idea that integrity itself was a political force. Cleveland rose from obscurity to the White House in three years, driven by a reputation for refusing favors, cutting waste, and taking public duty literally.

1/ Lonnie G. Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, considers the role of Martin Van Buren in building the modern American political system in this short by @retroreport.org, based on @inpursuitusa.bsky.social, for @pbs.org.