FDR addresses Club dinner in 1932, leading to luncheon program

This Week In National Press Club History

November 22, 1932: President-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the first VIP formally invited to address the National Press Club at dinner. The event is so well received that the Club decides to hold formal luncheons in the auditorium, which leads to the formation of the Speakers Program and the advent of the Club as an international forum.

November 22, 1957: The first President’s Ball features entertainment by comedian Sam Levenson, country music singer Eddy Arnold and husband and wife musical team Les Paul and Mary Ford.

This Week in National Press Club History is brought to you by the History & Heritage Committee, which is dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the Club’s history through displays, panel discussion, lectures, events and the oral history project.

For more information about the History & Heritage Committee’s activities or to join the committee, contact Bill Hickman at [email protected]