Congrats to Canon Historian Jon Meacham!

Our pal Jon Meacham got a big (and overdue) honor at the White House yesterday when he was honored with the National Humanities Medal.

Jon, who serves as Canon Historian here at the Cathedral, was among the 2022 class of Humanities medalists honored by President and Dr. Biden. The award is given by the National Endowment for the Humanities to honor “an individual or organization whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience, broadened citizens’ engagement with history or literature, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to cultural resources.”

The awards for Jon’s 2022 cohort were delayed by Covid, and his class joined the 2023 cohort, which included “West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin, chef Anthony Bordain, literacy activist and author LeVar Burton and others. Also honored was the Mellon Foundation, one of our key partners on the new Now and Forever windows project.

When Jon isn’t preaching or teaching at the Cathedral, he holds the Rogers Chair in the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University. He previously won the Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for his book, “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House.” He was a eulogist at President George H.W. Bush’s Cathedral funeral in 2018.

The Bidens also awarded the National Medals of Arts, which is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the federal government. Winners included Broadway phenom Idina Menzel; filmmakers Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg and Ken Burns; R&B sensations Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott; and actress and activist Eva Longoria. 

From all of us here at the Cathedral, congrats!