Summary
Clay Straus Jenkinson is the director of The Dakota Institute, where he co-hosts public radio's The Thomas Jefferson Hour. Jenkinson first achieved fame for his portrayal (first-person historical interpretation) of Thomas Jefferson. On April 11, 1994, he was the first public humanities scholar to present a program at a White House-sponsored event when he presented Thomas Jefferson for a gathering hosted by President and Mrs. Clinton. He is the author of several books about American History, including The Character of Meriwether Lewis: Explorer in the Wilderness, and A Vast and Open Plain: The Writings of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in North Dakota, 1804-1806.