Our beloved New Deal friend, Christopher N. Breiseth (Chris), passed away at age 89 on June 27, 2026.

A driving force in the National New Deal Preservation Association (NNDPA), Chris first became involved with the organization in 2002 at a Roosevelt University conference in Chicago. There he connected with NNDPA founder Kathy Flynn and soon joined the board, serving as Vice President. His gentle leadership and extensive network, shaped by his role as the first President-in-Residence of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, New York, helped guide NNDPA in organizing major national conferences, preserving New Deal sites and art, and promoting the New Deal to the public.

Chris played a key role in the 2016 Santa Fe conference, “Securing the New Deal Legacy:  The Grandchildren Speak,” bringing together distinguished speakers, including descendants of FDR’s administration. In 2017, at Hyde Park, he continued that conversation, skillfully moderating discussions connecting the New Deal’s legacy to present-day challenges.

He was instrumental in collaborations with the Living New Deal and Frances Perkins Center, helping organize a Berkeley conference inspired by his connection to Frances Perkins during his time at Cornell’s Telluride House. He contributed significantly to Women and the Spirit of the New Deal, a project highlighting more than 100 women whose work shaped the era, and helped guide its transformation from conference booklet to published volume.

Chris also helped bring to life The New Deal: Looking Back, Moving Forward, co-edited with David Lembeck, which launched at another conference he helped organize, “The New Deal:  Inspiration and Hope,” held in Santa Fe, NM, in April 2024.  Speaking about the book at the 2025 Roosevelt Reading Festival at the FDR Library and Museum, Chris referred to his work on the book as a “love affair.”  

In 2024, he witnessed the designation of the Frances Perkins Homestead as a National Monument, another achievement that brought him great joy.

A steady optimist, thoughtful listener, and generous colleague, Chris believed deeply in the enduring promise of democracy and the Roosevelt spirit. He believed in us and the NNDPA’s mission.  We will miss his measured voice and New Deal insights.

Christopher Breiseth’s family has a website with a lot of information about his life. Click here to visit this Website