February 5, 2025 Meet Your Counterparts with Holland & Knight

Holland & Knight invites you to join us for an evening at the American Philosophical Society (APS). The evening will include cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and an opportunity to view and engage with original historical documents housed at the APS Library. We will be joined by APS CEO Patrick Spero, an award-winning historian and widely-published author, who will discuss the APS’s distinguished role in Philadelphia’s and the nation’s history. Patrick also will provide the historical context for the singular historical treasures shared from the APS Library.

Founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge,” the APS is considered the first learned society in the United States. The APS Library is among the premier institutions for documenting the history of the American Revolution and Founding, and houses original documents including the papers of Benjamin Franklin, the journals of Lewis and Clark, a large corpus of Charles Darwin correspondence and printed material, the records of pioneering anthropologists, the holdings of the Eugenics Records Office, and the papers of seven Nobel Laureates. The collection also includes many extraordinary books, such as first editions of Sir Isaac Newton's Principia, Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, a presentation copy of Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, the elephant folio of Audubon's Birds of North America, as well as a significant portion of Franklin's personal library.