Douglas Brinkley: CNN Presidential Historian, Author, and Environmental Champion
Perrysburg native Douglas Brinkley headlined the 2025 Country Garden Club of Perrysburg Lecture Series on April 24 at 7 p.m. at the Owens Community College Center for Performing Arts. Referred to as “a man who knows more about the presidency than just about any human being alive,” Brinkley is a CNN presidential historian, and also a Rice University professor, bestselling author, and outspoken conservationist.
Brinkley, a Vanity Fair contributor and frequent commentator on CNN and CBS, addressed the importance of the role of the presidency in defining different eras of the United States, and how we can learn from Presidental successes and failures. In his 2022 book, Silent Spring Revolution, Brinkley chronicled the rise of environmental activism during the eras of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon and the roles each played in the Great Environmental Awakening of the 1960s and early 1970s.
“There is really no better way to study the United States than by looking at presidents including what has worked and what hasn’t worked,” Brinkley said. “The most important thing is that we deal with fact-based history; what really transpired to build this incredible country; and how we can make it better in the 21st century. Once you can get people hooked on history, they will absorb it into their lives and it makes for a better citizenry.”
For more information on Douglas Brinkley, please visit douglasbrinkley.com