Madison Historical Society Annual Dinner Meeting

Historical Society’s Dinner Meeting to Feature Woodrow Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles

MADISON – The Madison Historical Society’s Annual Dinner Meeting will take place on Thursday May 18th at the Madison Hotel, located at One Convent Road in Convent Station. The evening’s program will feature Perry Leavell the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of History Emeritus at Drew University. His topic will be “Standing Alone for Mankind, Woodrow Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles.”

The evening will also feature the election of Society officers for 2017 – 2018, as well as the presentation of the annual Madison Historical Society Award to an outstanding Madison High School history student.

A cash bar will be available from 6:00 PM. The dinner and meeting will follow at 6:30 PM. The cost is $55 per person, and reservations can be made by calling the Society at 973-377-0722 Ext 8. Callers are asked to leave a message, and a Society member will promptly return their call.

World War I was industrial mayhem organized by nation-states. Current estimates are that there were a total of over 8 million combat deaths and from 8.6 to 10.8 million military deaths from all causes. America losses were 53,000 combat deaths and 117,000 from all causes. For six months, after the war ended, world leaders drew up peace treaties that aimed to "end all wars". For a couple of years afterwards, they reached agreements that continue to influence the world. Woodrow Wilson and America played a major role in the making of these treaties. Professor Perry Leavell's talk will discuss the war, the peace conference, the leadership of President Wilson, and the consequences of the treaties.

Dr. Leavell was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Emory University who received his Ph D "with distinction" from Tulane University. He taught American history at Drew University from 1967 to 2008. Today he lectures on American history to various groups in northern and central New Jersey, and he is writing a book on Woodrow Wilson and his major foreign policy adviser Edward M. House.

The Madison Historical Society’s role is to assemble, record, and preserve all matters of historical interest concerning Madison and its residents. Formed in 1922 to preserve the old Bottle Hill Tavern, the Society has organized a significant collection of historic documents, maps and photographs over the intervening years. These are housed at the Local History Center at the Madison Public Library. For more information about the Society or to inquire about membership, call 973-377-0722, ext 8 or visit the Society’s website at www.madisonhistoricalsociety.org.