UVA Club of Greater Orlando: Evening with Professor Andrew O'Shaughnessy and The Countess of Derby

All alumni, friends, and families are invited to join the UVA Club of Greater Orlando for a reception and presentation from The Countess of Derby and Professor Andrew O'Shaughnessy on "A North American Tour Journal 1824-1925: The Making of a Prime Minister". The evening will begin with the reception at 6 p.m. in the Orange County Regional History Center's King Gallery, followed by the presentation at 6:45 p.m. In their presentation, The Countess of Derby and Professor O'Shaughnessy will uncover the Earl's remarkable insights and the lasting impact of his exciting voyage across the United States and Canada.

For more information on this event, please contact Josh Stuart (Col '18, M.Ed '22), Senior Associate Director of UVA Clubs Global Network, at jcs2wv@virginia.edu.

About the presentation:

In July 1824, Edward Geoffrey Stanley arrived in New York City at the end of a nearly five-week voyage from Liverpool. The young MP and future 14th earl of Derby was under a cloud before his departure. His political career was off to a rough start and he was in love with a young lady that he was forbidden to marry. A lengthy tour, or as Stanley termed it, a “banishment,” had been imposed upon him. From July 1824 into March 1825, Stanley travelled extensively throughout the eastern half of North America. He crossed mountains and lakes, journeyed up and down rivers, and trekked through pine barrens, swamps, and marshes. He travelled by stage, steamboat, canoe, horseback and sometimes on foot, studying every aspect of the towns and countryside he passed through. Stanley was sometimes surprised, and sometimes shocked, by what he saw. Complicated interactions between the Catholic French and their Protestant British neighbours in Canada, the horrifying lives of those enslaved in the U.S. South, the poverty of Irish immigrants in the north, the degradation of Native Americans everywhere: all of these left deep impressions on Stanley. Everything he learned during this journey shaped his future career as a political reformer and distinguished statesman.

About the speakers:

The Countess of Derby: Historian, Curator, Storyteller

The Countess of Derby, Caroline, known as Cazzy to her friends, is a distinguished historian, author, and cultural ambassador. Born a Neville, married to a Stanley and curator to the Royal Collection, she developed a profound love of heritage and an interest in the intersection of history and contemporary issues. She has dedicated her career to uncovering and sharing lesser-known historical narratives and artworks that she has unearthed during her restoration of her Derby’s ancestral home, Knowsley Hall, to its former glory. She is currently publishing the youth travel journals of the 14thEarl of Derby, an extraordinary historical account that offers fresh insights into early 19th-century North America. Caroline's passion for storytelling and her commitment to historical preservation make her a captivating speaker and an influential voice in the literary and cultural communities.

Andrew O’Shaughnessy

Andrew O’Shaughnessy is a distinguished historian and Professor of History at the University of Virginia. From 2003 to 2022, he served as Vice President of The Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello) and led the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies. A dual citizen of Britain and the United States, O’Shaughnessy completed his undergraduate and doctoral degrees at Oxford University. His illustrious teaching career includes roles at Eton College, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where he chaired the History department.

O’Shaughnessy is the acclaimed author of The Men Who Lost America, which won eight national awards, including the George Washington Book Prize and the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Excellence in American History Book Award. His other notable works include An Empire Divided and The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he also serves as an editor of the Jeffersonian America series. O’Shaughnessy has also co-edited The European Friends of the American Revolution, which was published in 2023. His latest book, which will be published by Yale early in 2025, is co-authored with Trevor Burnard, The American Revolution and the Crisis of the British Empire. O’Shaughnessy’s expertise and contributions make him a leading voice in American history.

For more information, please visit his website here.