Contact: Kay Fike Jones
A veteran Mississippi State University history professor will appear Friday [Jan. 16] on CNN's "Inside Politics" to discuss his new book on "America's first political sex scandal."
John F. Marszalek's latest work, "The Petticoat Affair: Manners, Mutiny and Sex in Andrew Jackson's White House," deals with the scandals surrounding Margaret "Peggy" Eaton, wife of President Andrew Jackson's secretary of war, John Henry Eaton.
Snubbed by 19th century Washington, D.C., society for perceived sexual improprieties, Mrs. Eaton had Jackson as one of her staunchest defenders. However, one of her biggest detractors was the wife of Vice President John C. Calhoun.
The bitter and escalating dispute led to a split between Jackson and Calhoun. Ultimately, Jackson forced the resignation of his entire cabinet, in the process nearly ruining his first term in the White House.
Marszalek's CNN appearance is scheduled for 4 p.m. central time tomorrow. Earlier in the day, he will leave for Washington to tape an upcoming segment of C-SPAN's "Book Notes," which airs Sundays at 7 p.m. CT.
Next week, he will tape a segment for conservative radio talk show host Mary Matalin. Her nationally broadcast CBS Radio program can be heard in Mississippi from 3-6 p.m. on Natchez radio station WNAT-AM.
A Buffalo, N.Y., native, Marszalek is the author of several books dealing with the Civil War and civil rights. His 1992 book "Sherman: A Soldier's Passion for Order" was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He joined the MSU faculty in 1973.