Three Carter descendants to take part in 2026 Presidential Descendants Forum in Key West

KEY WEST, Fla. — On Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, in partnership with the Society of Presidential Descendants, will welcome five distinguished presidential descendants who will engage in a panel discussion entitled “The Legacy of President Carter,” moderated by presidential historian Dr. Kurt Graham, and staged on the grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House, 111 Front Street, Key West, Fla.

Recognized as one of the most distinctive civic and historical Presidents’ Weekend gatherings in the nation, this year’s Presidential Descendants Forum welcomes three Carter descendants: Amy Carter, daughter of 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and grandsons James Earl Carter IV and Josh Carter, alongside Susan Ford Bales, daughter of 38th U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, and Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman.

Opening the event, presidential descendants will present cash prizes and certificates of achievement to the three winners of the 2026 Monroe County Student Essay Competition, whose works, reflecting this year’s topic, were judged by members of the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation and the Society of Presidential Descendants.

“The Presidential Descendants Forum presents audiences with a personal window into presidential history — not just through policy, but through family memory and lived experience,” said Clinton Curry, Executive Director of the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation. “With the nation approaching its 250th anniversary, this year’s program also offers a timely opportunity to reflect on aspects of leadership, character, and service across generations.”

While the Forum centers on the Carter legacy, it also honors the broader continuum of presidential history represented by the panel. Susan Ford Bales brings the perspective of growing up in the White House in the period following Watergate, as well as her mother Betty Ford’s groundbreaking advocacy for women’s health and recovery. Clifton Truman Daniel offers reflections shaped by his grandfather’s leadership, as well as his own work promoting historical understanding, peace, and nuclear disarmament.

Held at the site where President Truman spent 11 working vacations between 1945 and 1953, the Presidential Descendants Forum is the largest annual Presidents’ Day gathering of presidential descendants in the country. 

Forum tickets are $40 for Foundation members and $60 for non-members. Doors open at 4:00 p.m., with a cash bar; the Forum begins at 4:30 p.m. Additional Presidents’ Weekend events run February 12–16 and include “Happy Hour at Harry’s,” performances of “Give ’Em Hell, Harry!”, and a traditional Presidents Day cookout.
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Event proceeds benefit the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation whose mission is to preserve the Harry S. Truman Little White House, Florida’s only presidential museum, and to provide programming that supports civic engagement, education, and the historic and cultural influences of the Truman era.
For tickets and information, visit www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events