"The ESU will continue to play an important role in
promoting around the world that great language of liberty which
is the English tongue. And I hope that in the years ahead those
who speak to you as part of the Thatcher Lectures will add
their voices to our proud and noble chorus of freedom." Lady
ThatcherThis lecture series features a single
presentation by a prominent individual to an audience comprised
of English-Speaking Union members and others.
The series was modeled on the Churchill Lecture
mounted by The English-Speaking Union in London since 1974.
Former Churchill Lecturers include Ronald Reagan, Mary Robinson,
Henry Kissinger, Conor Cruise O'Brien and Katherine Graham.
In 1999, Lady
Thatcher agreed to lend her name to the series and
delivered the inaugural lecture. The series continues
a long tradition of bringing gifted speakers from a broad
spectrum of fields such as journalism, politics, history
and the arts to the ESU community. Today it hosts more
than 250 presentations across the country annually.
The English-Speaking Union is enormously
grateful to the late Sir Michael Richardson for his help
and guidance in establishing the series.