The Leaders Who Shape Us: Kennedy and Churchill

Long before John F. Kennedy entered the White House, he developed a fascination with British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill and his leadership, writings and place in history. Churchill’s ideas and example would become an important influence on Kennedy’s own understanding of leadership and public service. Author Joel Nelson joins Catherine Grace Katz, noted historian and author of The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War, for a conversation about his new book, Kennedy’s Only Hero: How JFK’s Obsession with Winston Churchill Defined His Presidency. Together, they will explore Kennedy’s lifelong interest in Churchill and how that admiration shaped his development as a politician and president. A book signing with Nelson will immediately follow the program. Does not include Museum admission. Museum members receive discounted ticket pricing. Contact [email protected] to learn more. BUY TICKETS ABOUT JOEL NELSON Joel Nelson is a British writer and historian. He took a first class honours degree in History at Jesus College, Oxford in 2016, and received his MPhil from the University of Cambridge in 2017. After graduating, Joel worked as an advisor to Rory Stewart MP from 2018-2020, an editor at Foreign Affairs, and as the Director of European Policy at an AI think-tank in Washington, D.C. In 2020, Joel won a Kennedy Scholarship to study at Harvard. Conscious that he knew nothing about the man the scholarship was named for, he bought Professor Fredrik Logevall’s recently published biography, JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917–1956. Joel was fascinated by the book’s references to Kennedy’s interest in Churchill and, after arriving at Harvard in 2021, was fortunate to research the subject under Logevall’s supervision. He spent the next five years researching and writing Kennedy’s Only Hero, which is his first book. He lives in London. ABOUT THE MODERATOR Catherine Grace Katz is a writer and historian from Winnetka, IL and the author of the acclaimed histories, Shadow Before the Flame: The Hindenburg Disaster and the Prelude to War, published by Viking this September, and The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War. She received degrees in History from Harvard and Christ’s College, University of Cambridge, and a JD from Harvard Law School. Alongside her work as an historian, Catherine is an associate at an international law firm Washington, D.C.