In Pursuit is a new national project from More Perfect, featuring essays from Presidents, First Ladies, and leading thinkers reflecting on lessons in leadership from our nation’s history.https://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mu2zb5lkjc2bJennifer Taylor writes about Florence Harding and the political power of visibility in the first years after women won the vote. Mrs. Harding became the first future first lady photographed casting a ballot, and she carried that instinct for public presence into the White House.27 Aug 2026 14:03 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu2zb5lkjc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mtwn45njjk27Robert Costa writes about Warren Harding and how showing mercy became an unexpected act of political courage. He recounts Harding’s decision to release Eugene Debs from prison, despite their strong differences, and Harding’s belief that dissent did not amount to sedition.25 Aug 2026 20:15 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtwn45njjk27https://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mtjnjn2i4227Rebecca Roberts writes about Edith Wilson and the quiet mechanics of power when the public isn't meant to see it. Edith arrived in the White House as a second wife with no political on-ramp, but she quickly stepped into a more visible role than any first lady before her.20 Aug 2026 16:18 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjnjn2i4227https://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mtegyovd2222Patricia O’Toole writes about Woodrow Wilson and a presidency that reshaped American economic policy and the country’s role in the world.18 Aug 2026 14:38 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtegyovd2222https://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3msxorizv7c2nJohn M. Bridgeland writes about Helen “Nellie” Taft, a First Lady who expanded the role beyond ceremony. She advised her husband, joined him in the inaugural procession, and treated the White House and Washington’s public spaces as places for civic life.13 Aug 2026 12:52 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3msxorizv7c2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mssoabkyu22oChief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. writes about William Howard Taft and a public career that did not end with a failed presidency. After finishing third in the 1912 election, Taft returned to law and public service before becoming the only former president to serve as Chief Justice.11 Aug 2026 13:00 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mssoabkyu22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3msha63z3wk2qTomorrow at 12:00pm ET, Colleen Shogan joins presidential historian Stephen Knott for a Substack Live conversation on his new book, Conspirator in Chief, tracing the long history of conspiracy theories in the American presidency.06 Aug 2026 23:48 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3msha63z3wk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3msgbdfk33s2cEdward F. O’Keefe writes about Edith Roosevelt and a First Lady who reshaped both the White House and the way power moved through it. She oversaw the creation of the West Wing, expanded its social operation and became one of Theodore Roosevelt’s closest advisers.06 Aug 2026 14:37 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3msgbdfk33s2chttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3msaxcukeqc25President Bill Clinton writes about Theodore Roosevelt and a presidency defined by conservation, worker protections, civil service reform and checks on concentrated power. Roosevelt expanded the role of government and the meaning of “We the People,” while leaving much of that work unfinished.04 Aug 2026 11:54 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3msaxcukeqc25https://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mruq3yw7kc2mMichelle Gullion writes about Ida McKinley, the only First Lady to serve while living with epilepsy. Before entering the White House, Ida and William McKinley lost both of their daughters—one in infancy, the other at age three.30 Jul 2026 15:13 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mruq3yw7kc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mrplu3pil224Karl Rove writes about William McKinley and the political work of unifying a country that had spent three decades stuck in gridlock. McKinley entered a Gilded Age defined by contested elections, purged congressional seats, and unresolved Civil War divisions.28 Jul 2026 14:14 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrplu3pil224https://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mrcwqbgy422hNancy Kegan Smith writes about Caroline Harrison and the kind of leadership that happens through stewardship. Caroline arrived at a White House overrun by rats and disrepair, and left it a functioning institution with a documented history.23 Jul 2026 13:24 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrcwqbgy422hhttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mr5wvpjonc2xEvan Thomas writes about Benjamin Harrison and the case for competence over charisma. Harrison is remembered, if at all, as a cold and unmemorable figure, but his administration shaped the country in real ways.21 Jul 2026 13:44 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr5wvpjonc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mqrl3vnsq22xAndrew Mangino writes about Frances Folsom Cleveland and the strange new power that arrived when America learned how to mass-produce a famous face. Married in the White House at 21, Frances found her likeness on soap wrappers, candy tins, and playing cards across the country, none of it authorized.16 Jul 2026 15:40 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqrl3vnsq22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mqmebr3pws26Troy Senik writes about Grover Cleveland and a career built on the idea that integrity itself was a political force. Cleveland rose from obscurity to the White House in three years, driven by a reputation for refusing favors, cutting waste, and taking public duty literally.14 Jul 2026 13:55 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqmebr3pws26https://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mq2rcnh6w22dH.W. Brands writes about Chester Arthur and a presidency that began with almost no public confidence. Arthur entered office after Garfield’s assassination, known mostly as a New York machine politician and defender of the spoils system.07 Jul 2026 14:00 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq2rcnh6w22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mpjcuwkf4k2tC.W. Goodyear (@cwgoodyear) writes about James Garfield, a president remembered for his assassination but shaped by a more interesting political instinct. Garfield was ambitious, principled, and serious about power, but he worked hard not to let politics turn opponents into enemies.30 Jun 2026 15:27 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpjcuwkf4k2thttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3moxmv4cxqk25Stephen Skowronek writes about Rutherford B. Hayes and a presidency built from one of the weakest mandates in American history. Hayes entered office after the disputed election of 1876, with his party divided, Reconstruction faltering, and public trust in the presidency badly damaged.23 Jun 2026 14:38 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3moxmv4cxqk25https://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mol573u5fs2dYuval Levin writes about Julia Grant and the work of reconciliation after the Civil War. Raised in Missouri and shaped by a border-state world, Julia brought a distinct perspective to a postwar Washington trying to figure out what peace would actually look like in practice.18 Jun 2026 15:25 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mol573u5fs2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mofvuvzkn22dGen. Stanley McChrystal writes about Ulysses S. Grant and the harder test that comes after victory. Grant's leadership is usually told through the Civil War, but this essay turns to the years when the battlefield was gone and the stakes were institutional.16 Jun 2026 13:31 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mofvuvzkn22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mnuem72ius2cAnnette Gordon-Reed (@agordonreed.bsky.social) writes about Andrew Johnson and the moment he inherited. With the Civil War ending and slavery destroyed, the country faced a narrow window to rebuild the Union and define what freedom would mean in practice.09 Jun 2026 14:07 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnuem72ius2chttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mnhqqlpsrc2pLois Romano writes about Mary Todd Lincoln and what resilience looked like under constant public scrutiny, personal loss, and political attack.04 Jun 2026 13:39 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnhqqlpsrc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social/post/3mnco3ppxvk2uPresident Barack Obama (@barackobama.bsky.social) writes about Abraham Lincoln and what held the Union together when everything was working to pull it apart.02 Jun 2026 13:08 +0000at://did:plc:hatrlqvktn76lt5sp2bcfhkl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnco3ppxvk2u