George Deutsch, B.S.
February 2026
We continue to meet at the Erie Yacht Club. We are back upstairs! Meetings begin at 6:00 pm with a social hour and dinner, followed by our program/speaker.Our Dinner Menu:
Our dinner will be a choice of two entrees, either Chicken & Biscuits with Mashed Potatoes or Lemon Dill Salmon with Fresh Asparagus & Roasted Potatoes, with Caesar Salad, Chocolate Lava Cake with Whipped Cream & Fresh Strawberry, with rolls and butter, tea and coffee.Our Guest Speaker:
George Deutsch, B.S.
George Deutsch, Executive Director, Emeritus, of the Erie County Historical Society/Hagen History Center is a leader in historical preservation and multiple public history projects. In 2022, he concluded a five-year, $11 Million, building and exhibit construction project for the ECHS/HHC. He has co-founded several historical organizations related to the Civil War and the War of 1812 in his hometown of Erie, PA, including the Flagship Niagara League, which played a central role in reconstructing the U.S. Brig Niagara and creating the Erie Maritime Museum.Topic:
For reservations; please E-Mail the Torch Club Secretary at secretary.erietorch@gmail.com.
President Abraham Lincoln and Chief Justice Roger Taney: The Great Antagonists
"President Abraham Lincoln and Chief Justice Roger Taney: The Great Antagonists"
The lecture explores the legendary constitutional rivalry between President Abraham Lincoln and Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney. The contrasts between the two men could not have been starker. Taney was the product of privilege and an outstanding formal education while Lincoln came from abject poverty and was self-educated. The rivalry began with the Dred Scott decision of 1857 and lasted until Taney's death in 1864. The opening salvo was Lincoln's famous "House Divided"ť speech in the Illinois Legislature in response to Taney's decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford. When Lincoln was sworn in as president in March 1861, he faced an unprecedented crisis that threatened the nation's survival. When riots broke out in Baltimore and pro-Confederate groups cut telegraph wires and burned railroad bridges in Maryland, isolating Washington, Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus and followed by declaring martial law. When Marylander John Merryman, who was accused of pro-Confederate activities, was arrested, Taney challenged the military arrest and issued a writ for Merryman that Lincoln chose to ignore. This set up a major constitutional crisis. Lincoln's US Marshall for DC later claimed in his unpublished memoir that Lincoln actually authorized the arrest of Taney, but it was never carried out. Other challenges to presidential war powers followed, culminating in the Prize Cases in 1863 involving Lincoln's naval blockade in lieu of declaring war on the Confederacy. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled Lincoln's action was constitutional, with Taney vigorously dissenting. At the time of his death in October 1864 Taney was preparing briefs opposing both the Emancipation Proclamation and the Conscription laws. All of this certainly was the greatest crisis between the Presidency and the Court until the New Deal.
Please join us on February 4th, 2026 at 6:00 pm, for our pre-dinner cocktail and chat time and remember to bring your friends and acquaintances. Reservations are required.
Please remember to make your reservation at secretary.erietorch@gmail.com.