For this book study, the author begins with a look at America’s first leadership crisis: a “deficit of adequate statesmen,” according to James Madison in 1780. Two Virginia Founding Fathers stepped up to the plate to fill the leadership void when Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson appointed his law teacher, George Wythe, as the nation’s first professor of law at the College of William & Mary in 1779. At Wythe’s death in 1806, his former pupils were virtually running the country. In this biography of George Wythe, Suzanne will also explore his strong influence as Thomas Jefferson’s mentor on Jefferson’s greatest lifetime achievements. Readers of the book will be encouraged to share their questions and comments about these Founding Fathers, the challenges of forging a new nation, and other insights. Wythe was signer and “Godfather” of the Declaration of Independence, champion of the Constitution, Revolutionary patriot, leading legislator, groundbreaking judge, abolitionist, and the most influential teacher in American history. Suzanne lectures frequently on the Jefferson-Wythe legacy. Venues include William & Mary, University of Richmond, and Virginia Tech lifetime learning affiliates, the Chautauqua Institution in New York, and numerous historical societies. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland and a MEd from Virginia Commonwealth University and attended The Executive Program at UVA’s Darden School of Business.
The book can be found on Amazon, click HERE.
