Election Day 2024
It occurred to me the other day that November 5th will be one of the most important days of my life. To not write something on the topic...
top of page
Jul 89 min read
One Stubborn Irishman
Senator Joe Biden, 2002 While Joe Biden came to the National Archives on more than one occasion during my tenure, outside of social...
Jun 252 min read
Mr. Huffington Goes to Washington
Billionaire Republican Congressman, heir to the HUFFCO Energy fortune, husband of Arianna Huffington (Greek-born founder of the...
Apr 114 min read
Farewell Joe
As is often the case in recent years, when a high-profile member of the US Senate or House of Representatives passes away, friends ask me...
Mar 214 min read
Come on Ken!
In the Spring of 2005, I got a call from Bob King, long-time chief of staff to Congressman Tom Lantos of California. I had developed a...
Mar 141 min read
My Oral History Just Released by the National Archives
From the National Archives Oral History catalog: John Constance, whose storied National Archives career spanned 35 years from 1972 to...
Mar 82 min read
Thou Shalt Not
When I was at the National Archives, we were unwillingly drawn into the controversy regarding the public display of the Ten Commandments....
Feb 294 min read
Mitch, I Sadly Knew Ye
Not so fast there, my friend. No, this blog is not about politics, but about human values, common decency, and naivete. Early in my...
Jan 128 min read
Your Roots Are Showing
Be careful what you wish for when researching your family history I feel that I have sufficient credibility to comment on the American...
Aug 4, 20234 min read
Legacy
I looked up the definition of “legacy” this week and was surprised that Webster lists money or property as the first meaning of the term....
Jul 3, 20233 min read
Not Just a Day Off
Those of you who know me, have heard me say, "when you work at the Vatican you have to work Christmas Eve; and when you work at the...
Mar 4, 20235 min read
I Lift My Lamp
In the context of a world where everything is partisan, everything is divided, everything pushes us to make an affirmative choice between...
Feb 24, 202313 min read
Breaking Records
[A dear friend recently invited me to address a luncheon meeting of retired members of the NC Bar at the NC State University Club. A...
Feb 3, 20236 min read
Hooray for Hollywood
My first real job out of college was with a division of the National Archives called the National Audiovisual Center. The director was a...
Nov 18, 20225 min read
An Irish Melody
When I started this blog in 2021 it soon occurred to me that if I wasn’t careful, I could write an obituary every week. That wasn’t going...
Oct 14, 20226 min read
Bosses II
Dr. Trudy Huskamp Peterson, Dr. Michael Kurtz, Adrienne Thomas Michael Kurtz Michael Joseph Kurtz was born on March 8, 1949, in Leesburg...
Aug 18, 20226 min read
Don't Mess With the Archivists
(Movie Poster, National Treasure, Walt Disney Pictures) I couldn’t be prouder of my old ship, the National Archives. Events in recent...
Aug 9, 20228 min read
Silver Bullet?
(Capitol Reflections, photo by John Constance) Congress is broken. Politics is a vicious blood sport. There is no such thing as a...
Jul 15, 20227 min read
Eye of the Tiger
Among the first words I ever heard uttered by Congressman Tom Lantos of California were, “Mr. Constance, if you dare to take this action,...
May 20, 20223 min read
Strom
Some figures in the world of entertainment only need one name, not two like mere mortals. Prince, Bono, Ringo, Madonna, Sting, and...
bottom of page