New Issue of White House History Quarterly: “As Time Goes By: Historic Moments in the Life of the White House”

May 14, 2021 Washington, D.C. —

The White House Historical Association (WHHA) today released the 61st issue of White House History Quarterly, the Association's award-winning magazine. “As Time Goes By: Historic Moments in the Life of the White House,” explores a selection of historic moments at the White House against a backdrop of the magnificent clocks that have kept presidential time for more than 200 years. Among these featured timepieces are two historic Chelsea clocks recently gifted by the WHHA, including a mantle clock gifted for use in President Biden’s Oval Office.

From the installation of the first running water, to the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, to the first “interplanetary call” from the Oval Office, the issue offers readers the opportunity to consider the White House at a series of consequential points in time. A curated photographic collection of the Executive Mansion’s historic clocks takes readers on a horological journey of the finest examples of French and American artistry.

Included in this issue:

• Marcia Mallet Anderson, Editor of White House History Quarterly (WHHQ), invites readers to go on a journey through time at the White House, both through its stories and its physical timepieces.
• WHHQ Editorial Manager Elyse Werling tells the story of Johnny Muffler, the man who kept presidential time for 54 years as the White House’s clock fixer and winder.
• Author Danny Heitman gives an unconventional history of the White House by examining the evolution of its plumbing systems.
• William Kloss, art historian and former member of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, explores the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation through the lens of one historic painting.
• Luke A. Nichter, Professor of History at Texas A&M University, peels back the curtain on the history of secret recording systems at the White House.
• WHHA Historian Lina Mann takes readers on an interstellar journey through four administrations who took America across the finish line in the Space Race.
• Daniel Shanks, the first usher of food and drink at the White House, dives deep into the world of wine and what it takes to select and serve the perfect bottles at State Dinners.
• Annette Dunlap, historian and author, writes about the historic restoration of Tryon Palace.
• WHHA President Stewart D. McLaurin reflects on the passage of time, and reveals two Chelsea clocks recently given by the Association to the White House: a wall clock that now hangs on the Ground Floor Corridor above the doorway leading to the president’s elevator and a mantle clock given for use in the Oval Office.

To request a copy of White House History Quarterly #61, or to interview the authors listed above, please contact press@whha.org.

Issues of White House History Quarterly retail for $9.95. To subscribe or purchase a single issue, visit shop.whitehousehistory.org.

About The White House History Quarterly

Published four times each year by the White House Historical Association, this magazine features articles on White House history, architecture, fine and decorative arts, and gardens, as well as the life stories of White House occupants and their experiences living in the Executive Mansion. Now in its 23rd year of regular publication, the Quarterly has won national and regional awards for content and design and has attracted a loyal readership of both scholars and laymen in the U.S. and abroad. More than 240 scholars, artists, and former White House residents and employees have written for the award-winning Quarterly. The late historian William Seale (1939–2019) was the founding editor.