It’s been a busy summer for the Briscoe Center, and we’re preparing for an even busier fall. As you’ll read in our summer e-news, we continue to add new collections to our research holdings (most recently the Alexander Cockburn Papers) and items from our collections continue to be featured across… read more 

Earlier this month at the LBJ Library’s Civil Rights Summit, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Congressmen John Lewis were touring the library’s exhibits when they stopped to take in one of six photographs on loan from the Briscoe Center’s collections. The photograph had particular meaning for Congressman… read more 

Nestled away in one of the Briscoe Center’s collections (the Edward Alexander Parsons Collection to be precise) is a 1779 letter by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was writing to the Spanish Governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Gálvez, who commanded Spanish forces during the Revolutionary War. At the time, both Spain and… read more 

Spring brings a very exciting opportunity for the Briscoe Center—the Forster Flag auction. The Forster Flag is one of 30 Revolutionary-era flags known to have survived and the only one not in a museum or institution. It is likely to be the final one ever offered for sale. The flag is owned… read more 

2013 was a special year for the Briscoe Center. Whether opening exhibits like News to History, publishing books such as Bill Cunningham’s The Texas Way, reopening the Briscoe-Garner Museum in Uvalde, or acquiring precious artifacts such as the George Washington letter, there was much to report and celebrate. I expect 2014 to be an even… read more 

On the morning of Nov. 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy made what was probably the last telephone call of a life cut short. Who did he call? A family member? An international statesman? A powerful congressman or governor? He called John Nance Garner and wished him a happy birthday.… read more 

This Friday marks the 50th anniversary of a truly tragic event in American history — the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. To commemorate this anniversary, the Briscoe Center is publishing Julian Read’s memoir, JFK’s Final Hours in Texas: An Eyewitness Remembers the Tragedy and Its Aftermath. I know Julian as… read more 

Last week the Briscoe Center celebrated the release of Dr. Bill Cunningham’s memoir, The Texas Way: Money, Power, Politics, and Ambition at The University, with an event at the Alumni Center. The event was a who’s who of the campus community, with university leaders past and present on hand to congratulate… read more 

The Briscoe Center and the LBJ Library have forged a close partnership over the years. Earlier this month we joined forces yet again for a special evening of remembrance, “A White House View of 9/11.” White House photographer Eric Draper, whose archives are held at the Briscoe Center, was joined by… read more 

Earlier this month, the Briscoe Center was proud to partner with Texas Exes for a book signing that celebrated the release of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s wonderful new book, Unflinching Courage: Pioneering Women Who Shaped Texas, which explores the strength, bravery, and spirit of the state’s remarkable pioneer women. The Briscoe… read more