This month in Club history: NPC is founded in 1908

Dip down anywhere in the National Press Club’s 117-year history and we can find remarkable stories about events at our Club that contributed to American, world and social history. The Club’s History and Heritage Team is highlighting just a few each month so our members can appreciate the role the Club has played for more than a century as the place where news happens.

February 1908: The idea of founding the Club came on a wet and windy day in February at the corner of 14th and F Streets. Graham Nichol, a reporter for the old Washington Times ran into his friend and colleague James Hay not 10 feet from where the Press Building now stands. Nichol said he was tired of having to hunt up a boarding house room every time he wanted to play cards with his fellow journalists. He wanted a press club. Hay asked, how? Where? Nichol said, “I don’t know and I don’t give a damn, but we’re going to have a Club.” He went to the Washington Police Department press room and circulated a petition. About two weeks later, 32 journalists met at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and decided a club was feasible.

Feb. 1, 2003: Tammy Lytle of the Orlando Sentinel was preparing for her inaugural party that evening when she got an urgent call from her news desk. The Space Shuttle Columbia had just exploded. With the Kennedy Space Center in the Sentinel’s circulation area, this was a huge story. Some of the Sentinel’s top editors were already in D.C. for her event. Others turned around on the way to the airport. They told her she didn’t have to work on the stories, but she did. Before the afternoon paper’s 2 p.m. deadline, Tammy cranked out a story on congressional reaction. Then, she turned around and wrote two more stories for the next morning’s edition. At the same time, she had to rewrite her inaugural speech and find a priest for the ceremony. The show went on. Tammy spoke later of the adrenalin rush and energy of the evening. “In the face of tragedy, we know we have an important job to do. And we do it,” she said.

Feb. 4, 1955:  Louis Lautier, writer for the Atlanta Daily World and the National Negro Press Association, broke the racial barrier at the Club, becoming the first African-American admitted to membership. Coming shortly after the Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education ruling to end school desegregation, the Club’s board decided it was time to end segregation for members. But the issue was pushed to the general membership. As the vote approached, it became contentious. However, the results were clear: 377 in favor and 281 against. 

Feb. 6, 1978: With the Camp David Accords under negotiation, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was close to pulling out, frustrated by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s demands. Club President Frank Aukofer of the Milwaukee Journal had invited Sadat to speak. Sadat told President Carter he was going to use his speech to announce his departure. Carter told Sadat that he would only help Begin look good by making it appear that Egypt was an obstacle to peace. Carter offered Sadat “a secret strategy” to revive the negotiations. At the luncheon, Sadat denounced “some who could not grasp the great significance” of what he was offering. But he insisted that he “remained committed to the cause of peace.” The peace talks continued.

Feb. 7, 1911:  Renowned actress Sarah Bernhardt told the Club that she owed a lot to the press.

Feb. 10, 1945: At a Club canteen for World War II servicemen that attracted about 800 soldiers, sailors and marines in the ballroom, then-Vice President Harry Truman decided he would go. An accomplished pianist, Truman played the upright piano on the stage. Also at the event was Lauren Bacall, who had just burst into fame with her role in “To Have and Have Not,” co-starring with Humphrey Bogart. Bacall’s press agent saw a good thing and convinced her to get on top of the upright piano. Photographers went wild. That became the most famous photo taken at the Club. The History and Heritage team is putting on a retrospective of Harry Truman and the Club Feb. 28 to mark the 80th anniversary of the photo.

Feb. 14, 1912: Harry Houdini, the Hungarian-born magician, known for his sensational escapes from straitjackets, chains, jails, and once even from the belly of a whale, visited the Club.

Feb. 21, 1999:  Ex-wrestler and current Reform Party Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, speaking before a packed luncheon, said third parties are important to the country -- and the press needs to laugh more.       

Feb. 27, 2003:  Afghan President Hamid Karzai appeared before an overflow crowd at a Newsmaker.