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Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Conversations with the Past
"The 1916 Presidential Election: Comparisons & Contrast with Today"
Speaker: Maury Thompson, author, freelance writer, and former reporter for The Post-Star.
7 p.m. on Zoom. Free for all; requires registration.
The morning after the 1916 presidential election, myriad newspapers across the nation, including The New York Times, erroneously reported that Republican Charles Evans Hughes had won the election. When the final California returns came in, it showed that not Hughes, but incumbent Democrat Woodrow Wilson, had won.
Key issues in one of the closest presidential races sound quite contemporary: international security, as the United States debated whether to enter World War I, global trade and tariffs, and the southern border with Mexico.
Maury Thompson will speak about the 1916 campaign and the candidates, with an emphasis on his recent research about the California vote, which determined the outcome. Thompson also will speak about Hughes and Wilson as role models of political civility.
To register, visit: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/pTodPN6pQm29bZnh71nRfA