As vice president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson presided over the Senate. To improve its procedures, he wrote A Manual of Parliamentary Practice. First published in 1801, Jefferson’s Manual has been the basis for the rules of Congress ever since. In 1812, a second edition of the Manual was published with Jefferson’s input, marking his final word on the book.  Now, for the first time, Jefferson’s Manual of 1812 has been printed with all of Jefferson’s additions, along with an introduction detailing the history of the text and the discovery of Jefferson’s revisions. This new edition includes Jefferson’s additions that serve as the basis for changes to the “House Rules and Manual,” published by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2025.  Join Author Brian Alexander as he discusses his groundbreaking research using Jefferson’s own writings for this historic Manual of Parliamentary Practice, in its definitive edition. Admission to this book talk is included with general admission to Poplar Forest.

Brian Alexander, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Politics at Washington and Lee University. His teaching and research focus on American government and US foreign policy, with publications that include A Social Theory of Congress: Legislative Norms in the Twenty-First Century (Rowman & Littlefield 2021) and The Folkways of Congress, editor (Brookings Institution Press 2026). He is director of the W&L Washington Term, an experiential learning program for college students in Washington, DC. Brian also served as American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow (2015–2016) in the office of U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI). In 2021, he held a fellowship at the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello, where he conducted research on Thomas Jefferson and parliamentary law. Prior to joining W&L, Brian worked as a management consultant serving federal agency clients and in numerous non-profits focused on foreign and domestic policy. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from George Mason University and an undergraduate degree from Miami University. He lives in Lexington, Virginia, with his wife and two daughters.