A forum featuring descendants of six former United States presidents, including grandsons of Jimmy Carter and Harry Truman, highlighted Presidents Day weekend at the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West.
James Earl Carter IV, Clifton Truman Daniel and other descendants discussed the importance of historical preservation related to presidencies during the forum at the Little White House, now Florida’s only presidential museum.
The sprawling residence was Truman’s refuge for 11 working vacations during his 1945-53 administration — and later welcomed Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter and their family.
In addition to Carter IV and Daniel, the forum also featured Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of Dwight D. Eisenhower; Tweed Roosevelt, great-grandson of Franklin D. Roosevelt; Ulysses Grant Dietz, great-great-grandson of Ulysses S. Grant; and Massee McKinley, great-great-grandson of Grover Cleveland.
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Cori Convertito, Ph.D., chief curator and historian for the Key West Art & Historical Society, far left, served as moderator for a forum discussion on the topic of historic preservation at the Harry S. Truman Little White House on Saturday, Feb. 15, with a panel of Presidential descendants: left to right: Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman; James Earl Carter IV, grandson of 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter; Massee McKinley, great-great grandson of 22nd and 24th U.S. President Grover Cleveland; Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower; Ulysses Grant Dietz, great-great-grandson of 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant; and Tweed Roosevelt, great-grandson of 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. The “Presidential Descendants Forum” is presented by the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation in partnership with The Society of Presidential Descendants. Other Presidents Weekend events at Key West’s Little White House included performances of the stage play, “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!” and a traditional Presidents Day cookout. Presidents Weekend events at the Harry S. Truman Little White House are presented with the support of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. (Photo: Carol Tedesco/TrumanLittleWhiteHouse.org)
Carol Tedesco
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Ulysses Grant Dietz, great-great-grandson of 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, second from right, shares an anecdote with fellow Presidential descendants, left to right, Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman; James Earl Carter IV, grandson of 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter; Massee McKinley, great-great grandson of 22nd and 24th U.S. President Grover Cleveland; Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Tweed Roosevelt, great-grandson of 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, during the 2025 “Presidential Descendants Forum,” held Saturday, Feb. 15, in Key West. Presented by The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation in partnership with The Society of Presidential Descendants, the annual event takes place on the tropical grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House and is the largest Presidents Day Weekend gathering of presidential descendants in the country. Presidents Weekend events at the Harry S. Truman Little White House are presented with the support of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. (Photo: Carol Tedesco/TrumanLittleWhiteHouse.org)
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Key West Mayor DeeDee Henriquez is greeted on Saturday, Feb. 15, by James Earl Carter IV, grandson of 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter, in the living room of the historic Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, where a series of Presidents Weekend events took place. (Photo: Carol Tedesco/TrumanLittleWhiteHouse.org)
Carol Tedesco
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Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman, left, and Massee McKinley, great-great grandson of 22nd and 24th U.S. President Grover Cleveland, right, react to a comment made by James Earl Carter IV, grandson of 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter during the Saturday, Feb. 15 “Presidential Descendants Forum” in Key West. The three were among a sextet of presidential descendants who gathered over Presidents Day Weekend to engage in a moderated discussion on the topic of historic preservation. (Photo: Carol Tedesco/TrumanLittleWhiteHouse.org)
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Ulysses Grant Dietz, great-great-grandson of 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, left, reacts as Tweed Roosevelt, great-grandson of 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, makes a point on Saturday, Feb. 15, during the “Presidential Descendants Forum” at the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West. The two were among a sextet of presidential descendants who gathered over Presidents Day Weekend to engage in a moderated discussion on the topic of historic preservation. (Photo: Carol Tedesco/TrumanLittleWhiteHouse.org)
Carol Tedesco
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Left to right, Presidential descendants Massee McKinley, Clifton Truman Daniel, Tweed Roosevelt, Mary Jean Eisenhower, James Earl Carter IV, and Ulysses Grant Dietz examine a photograph taken of Harry S. Truman and members of his staff in 1949, displaying the individual signatures of the participants. The six descendants were gathered on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West to engage in a moderated Presidents Day Weekend discussion on the topic of “Historic Preservation—artifacts, objects and sites. Preserving our nation’s history for future generations.” (Photo: Carol Tedesco/TrumanLittleWhiteHouse.org)
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Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, blows a kiss to a life-size cutout of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman in the living room of the historic Harry S. Truman Little White House on Saturday, Feb. 15, in the company of, left to right, Ulysses Grant Dietz, great-great-grandson of 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant; James Earl Carter IV, grandson of 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter; Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman; Massee McKinley, great-great grandson of 22nd and 24th U.S. President Grover Cleveland; and Tweed Roosevelt, great-grandson of 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. The six distinguished Presidential descendants were in Key West for a Presidents Day Weekend forum discussion at the Little White House on the topic of historic preservation. (Photo: Carol Tedesco/TrumanLittleWhiteHouse.org)
Carol Tedesco
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In a scene from the stage production “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!” actor Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman, is pictured on Feb. 16, 2025, in Key West, Fla, holding up a copy of the famously erroneous Nov. 3, 1948, Chicago Daily Tribune banner headline announcing that Thomas E. Dewey had won the 1948 election. Feb. 16 and 17 performances of the play were among a series of Presidents Day Weekend events held on the grounds of the historic Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida’s only presidential museum. (Photo Carol Tedesco/The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation)
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Actor Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of President Harry S. Truman, is pictured Feb. 16, 2025, in Key West, Fla, performing a scene from the stage production “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!,” a long-running one-man show that pays tribute to the straight-talking 33rd President’s life, legacy, and unique persona. Feb. 16 and 17 performances by Truman Daniel were among a series of Presidents Day Weekend events held on the grounds of the historic Harry S. Truman Little White House, Florida’s only presidential museum. (Photo Carol Tedesco/The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation)
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James Earl Carter IV, grandson of the late Rosalynn and President Jimmy Carter, entertains a group of attendees with his juggling skills at the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation Presidents’ Day Cookout on Monday, Feb. 17. Held on the grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House, the celebration was one of multiple events presented over the holiday weekend by the Foundation in partnership with The Society of Presidential Descendants. (Photo Carol Tedesco/The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation)
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Left to right, Gebhart family sisters Thomasine, 5, Brenley, 7, and Krislyn, 8, of Key West, enjoy hotdogs served up at the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation Presidents’ Day cookout on Monday, Feb. 17. Held on the grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House, the celebration was one of multiple events presented over the holiday weekend by the Foundation in partnership with The Society of Presidential Descendants. (Photo Carol Tedesco/The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation)
Carol Tedesco
Carter shared that after his grandfather’s passing on Dec. 29, 2024, the outpouring of condolences and thanks for his grandfather’s work on humanitarian issues has “been incredible.”
“We've gotten messages from all around the world from obviously world leaders as well as, you know, former world leaders that he may have known from all of his travels after his presidency, but also just random citizens from around the world talking about how much he meant to them,” Carter said.
President Carter died at age 100, making him the longest-lived president in U.S. history. His grandson shared that well into his 90s, the family referred to the former president as “Mr. Action” for his non-stop work on human rights causes and projects. The work stopped, though for annual vacations with the entire extended family.
For Carter, those vacations, including several to the Florida Keys and Key West, hold some of his favorite memories. “We all got to catch up every year and spend time with my grandparents and things — they were so busy that during the rest of the year, you had to make an appointment to be able to see them,” Carter said.
Presented in part by the not-for-profit Key West Harry S Truman Foundation, Presidential Families Weekend events continue through Monday with two performances of the one-man play “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry,” starring Daniel as his grandfather and a Monday Presidents Day cookout.
The forum is the largest gathering of presidential descendants on Presidents Day Weekend in the United States.
