For more than 25 years, Dartmouth has been hosting events for presidential candidates. Whether staging the first-ever presidential “talk show” debate in 1984, co-moderated by syndicated TV talk show host Phil Donahue, or presenting town meeting-style forums for the Republican and Democratic candidates just one day apart in 1999, Dartmouth has been giving its students, faculty, staff, and the local community a firsthand view of the democratic process. As Dartmouth prepares to host its sixth presidential candidates’ event, a Republican debate on October 11, 2011, we share a look back at previous presidential events on campus.

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Several Republican presidential candidates remained onstage at Dartmouth’s Spaulding Auditorium talk to the press after the debate on January 16, 1988. From left: Former evangelist Pat Robertson; U.S. Rep. Jack Kemp from New York; Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan.; and former Delaware governor Pete du Pont. (photo courtesy of the Dartmouth College Library)

• 1984: Democratic Debate
• 1988: “Presidency in the 200th Year of the Constitution”
• 1999: “First in the Nation: A New Hampshire Town Meeting”
• 2004: “Our Lifetime Commitment: Every Woman Counts 2004 Democratic Presidential Candidates Forum”
• 2007: Democratic Primary Debate