Jenkinson was born in Dickinson, in southwestern North Dakota;[1] his father was a banker and his mother a schoolteacher. Although the family moved quite often when he and his sister were children, Jenkinson grew up mostly in Dickinson. He graduated from Dickinson High School in 1973 and then attended Vanderbilt University[2] and the University of Minnesota. He graduated in 1977 with a degree in English, and was then a Rhodes scholar at Oxford.
Jenkinson has one child, Catherine Missouri Walker Jenkinson,[1] from his marriage to Etta L. Walker (they married on 16 March 1986 and divorced in 1997). His daughter was named after the Little Missouri River.
Jenkinson appeared in the 2023 Ken Burns documentary The American Buffalo.[4]
Jenkinson's public portrayals take the form of lengthy monologues followed by Q & A sessions as the character (in costume) featured for that performance. At the end of his performances, he steps out of character and answers questions as himself. Another performance variation is represented by his nationally syndicated radio show, The Thomas Jefferson Hour:
"While staying resolutely in character, Mr. Jenkinson permits Jefferson to answer audience questions on a broad range of historical subjects and comment carefully on contemporary social and political topics."
On November 15, 2006, Clay appeared as Jefferson on The Colbert Report with two other Jefferson impersonators, Bill Barker and Steven Edenbo.
^— (2011). The Character of Meriwether Lewis: Explorer in the Wilderness. Washburn, ND: The Dakota Institute Press. ISBN978-0-9825597-2-7.
^—. Message on the Wind: A Spiritual Odyssey on the Northern Plains. Bismarck, ND: Marmarth Press.
^— (2004). Becoming Jefferson's People: Re-Inventing the American Republic in the Twenty-First Century. Bismarck, ND: Marmarth Press. ISBN1-930806-22-1.
clay, jenkinson, clay, straus, jenkinson, born, february, 1955, dickinson, north, dakota, american, humanities, scholar, author, educator, currently, director, dakota, institute, where, hosts, public, radio, thomas, jefferson, hour, creates, documentary, films. Clay Straus Jenkinson born February 4 1955 in Dickinson North Dakota is an American humanities scholar author and educator He is currently the director of The Dakota Institute where he co hosts public radio s The Thomas Jefferson Hour and creates documentary films symposia and literary projects He lectures at Dickinson State University and Bismarck State College Clay Jenkinson Wet Plate Collodion Contents 1 Life 2 Portrayal of Jefferson 3 Awards 4 Selected publications 4 1 Books 4 2 Documentaries 5 References 6 External linksLife editJenkinson was born in Dickinson in southwestern North Dakota 1 his father was a banker and his mother a schoolteacher Although the family moved quite often when he and his sister were children Jenkinson grew up mostly in Dickinson He graduated from Dickinson High School in 1973 and then attended Vanderbilt University 2 and the University of Minnesota He graduated in 1977 with a degree in English and was then a Rhodes scholar at Oxford In 2005 at the age of 50 Jenkinson returned to North Dakota as a permanent resident he resides in Bismarck He is currently the Director of The Dakota Institute through The Lewis amp Clark Fort Mandan Foundation Chief Consultant to The Theodore Roosevelt Center through Dickinson State University and a Distinguished Humanities Scholar at Bismarck State College He is James Marsh Professor at Large at the University of Vermont 3 Jenkinson has one child Catherine Missouri Walker Jenkinson 1 2 from his marriage to Etta L Walker they married on 16 March 1986 and divorced in 1997 His daughter was named after the Little Missouri River Jenkinson appeared in the 2023 Ken Burns documentary The American Buffalo 4 Portrayal of Jefferson editJenkinson 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 5 As co founder of the modern Chautauqua movement 6 Jenkinson has also portrayed Sir Francis Bacon Jonathan Swift J Robert Oppenheimer John Wesley Powell Jean Jacques Rousseau Theodore Roosevelt and Meriwether Lewis 7 Jenkinson s public portrayals take the form of lengthy monologues followed by Q amp A sessions as the character in costume featured for that performance At the end of his performances he steps out of character and answers questions as himself Another performance variation is represented by his nationally syndicated radio show The Thomas Jefferson Hour While staying resolutely in character Mr Jenkinson permits Jefferson to answer audience questions on a broad range of historical subjects and comment carefully on contemporary social and political topics On November 15 2006 Clay appeared as Jefferson on The Colbert Report with two other Jefferson impersonators Bill Barker and Steven Edenbo Awards editIn 1989 Jenkinson became one of the first winners of the nation s highest award in the humanities the Charles Frankel Prize awarded by President George H W Bush for his achievements The National Endowment for the Humanities once described Jenkinson as A leader in the revival of Chautauqua a forum for public discussion about the ideas and lives of key figures in American history He has been awarded the Robert J Laxalt Writer of the Year Award from University of Nevada Reno and is a Rhodes scholar and Danforth Scholar Jenkinson was a senior fellow for the Center for Digital Government based in California and was scholar in residence at Lewis amp Clark College in Portland Oregon from 2002 to 2006 and Roosevelt scholar in residence at Dickinson State University from 2005 to 2008 In 2004 Jenkinson was inducted into the Scandinavian American Hall of Fame a signature event of Norsk Hostfest 8 Selected publications editBooks edit The Character of Meriwether Lewis Explorer in the Wilderness a Message on the Wind A Spiritual Odyssey on the Northern Plains b Becoming Jefferson s People Re Inventing the American Republic in the Twenty First Century c Theodore Roosevelt in the Dakota Badlands An Historical Guide A Free and Hardy Life Theodore Roosevelt s Sojourn in the American West A Vast and Open Plain The Writings of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in North Dakota 1804 1806 For the Love of North Dakota and Other Essays Sundays with Clay in the Bismarck Tribune The Bill Of Rights And Beyond Thomas Jefferson s Perspective Lewis and Clark in Iowa The Language of Cottonwoods Essays on the Future of North DakotaDocumentaries edit When the Landscape is Quiet again the Legacy of Art LinkReferences edit Video on YouTube Episode 987 At The Barn Podcast 2 September 2012 Clay Jenkinson James Marsh Professors at Large University of Vermont Archived from the original on 2012 10 08 Retrieved 2022 06 29 https www pbs org kenburns the american buffalo about the filmmakers The Thomas Jefferson Hour www jeffersonhour com Archived from the original on 9 August 2011 Retrieved 13 January 2022 Dakota Sky Education Archived from the original on 2006 02 02 Retrieved 2005 12 21 Chautauqua Archived from the original on 2009 02 26 Retrieved 2010 01 25 SAHF Inductees hostfest com Norsk Hostfest 2011 The Character of Meriwether Lewis Explorer in the Wilderness Washburn ND The Dakota Institute Press ISBN 978 0 9825597 2 7 Message on the Wind A Spiritual Odyssey on the Northern Plains Bismarck ND Marmarth Press 2004 Becoming Jefferson s People Re Inventing the American Republic in the Twenty First Century Bismarck ND Marmarth Press ISBN 1 930806 22 1 External links editJefferson Hour com official site Dakota Sky Education com Jenkinson s informational website Prairie Public org Clay Jenkinson at 50 04 Feb 2005 Dickinson State University faculty directory Appearances on C SPAN Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Clay S Jenkinson amp oldid 1181743903, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
