Institute of Politics Names Fellows for Fall Term

October 07, 1999

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This semester's fall fellows at the Institute of Politics include a former governor, a former Clinton-speechwriter, and the managing editor of The Weekly Standard.

Fall fellows are Jim Edgar, governor of Illinois (1991-1999); Dan Lungren, attorney general of California (1991-1999); Raymond Strother, president of Strother/Duffy/Strother Ltd.; Michael Waldman, director of speechwriting at the White House (1995-1999); Katie Whelan, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association (1993-1999); and Claudia Winkler, managing editor of The Weekly Standard (1995-1999). Jean Kennedy Smith, Ambassador to Ireland (1993-1998), will be this semester's Elizabeth B. and Dennis B. Heffernan Visiting Fellow.

The Institute of Politics, located in the Kennedy School of Government, was founded in 1966 to encourage undergraduate student interest in the dynamics of politics and to increase understanding and cooperation between the academic community and the political world.

About the Fellows
Jim Edgar served in Illinois state government for 31 years and recently retired as a two-term governor. As chief executive, Edgar focused on improving education and revolutionizing human services while maintaining fiscal discipline. Prior to serving as governor, he served as the Illinois Secretary of State for 10 years. Recently, he was appointed distinguished fellow at the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs. He also sits on the board of directors for Kemper Insurance Companies, Scudder Kemper Funds, the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Edgar has a B.S. from Eastern Illinois University.

Dan Lungren, named National Review magazine’s "great right hope" in 1998, was California’s unsuccessful Republican nominee for governor last year. Recognized as the country’s top attorney general in 1996 by his colleagues in the National Association of Attorneys General, he served his home state in that elected capacity from 1991 to 1999. In addition to other duties, Lungren led the national effort to reform federal habeas corpus and prisoner litigation laws and successfully argued a death penalty case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Lungren first ran for Congress in 1976 at age 29. Elected two years later, he served five terms, achieving leadership positions in legislative areas such as crime, immigration, fiscal policy, and taxes. He joined with Newt Gingrich in establishing the Conservative Opportunity Society, a forerunner of Contract with America. Lungren currently hosts a national talk show on the Catholic Family Radio Network. Lungren received a B.A. in English from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from Georgetown University.

Raymond Strother, president of the political consulting firm of Strother/Duffy/Strother, serves as the president of the American Association of Political Consultants. He has worked on many successful campaigns – presidential, vice presidential, senatorial, gubernatorial, and congressional. Strother can often be seen as a political commentator on NBC, ABC, FOX, BBC Radio and Television, and numerous cable networks. He has written articles for Newsweek, the Washington Post, the Atlanta Constitution, and many other publications. He published a novel, Cottonwood, about the moral decline of a political consultant. Strother began his firm in Louisiana in 1967 and has lived for 20 years in Washington, D.C. He received a B.A. and M.A. in journalism from Louisiana State University.

Michael Waldman was chief White House speechwriter from 1995 to 1999, serving as assistant to the president and director of speechwriting. He was responsible for four State of the Union Addresses, two Inaugural Addresses, and the 1996 De mocratic Convention acceptance speech. He wrote or edited nearly 2,000 speeches. From 1993 to 1995, he held the position of special assistant to the president for policy coordination, where he was principal advisor on campaign finance reform. Previously, Waldman was a public interest lawyer and the director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch from 1989 to 1992. He is the author of Who Robbed America?, A Citizens’ Guide to the S&L Scandal and co-author of Who Runs Congress? Waldman has a B.A. from Columbia University and a J.D. from New York University.

Katie Whelan recently resigned as the executive director of the Democratic Governors’ Association (DGA) in Washington, D.C., where she served from 1993-1999. She currently serves as "of counsel" to the DGA, assisting in campaign strategies for 1999 and 2000. Prior to her position as executive director, Whelan was the DGA national finance director from 1990-1993. Before joining the Democratic Governors’ Association, Whelan was the communications director of Citizens Energy Corporation in Boston, and worked on the staff of former Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II. Whelan worked on the national presidential campaigns of Edward M. Kennedy, Walter F. Mondale, Michael S. Dukakis, and President Clinton in 1992 and 1996. A native of Cohasset, Mass., Whelan received her B.A. in international relations from Ithaca College.

Claudia Winkler has been managing editor of The Weekly Standard since the magazine began publication in 1995. Before that, she worked in daily journalism for 13 years. She was chief editorial writer for Scripps Howard from 1989 to 1995, writing on national and international subjects for the chain’s 20 dailies and the 350 clients of the Scripps Howard wire. She worked at The Cincinnati Post from 1983 to 1989, as editorial writer and columnist, and at the Buffalo Courier-Express in 1982 as an editorial writer. At the American Enterprise In stitute from 1975 to 1982, she edited books on a wide range of subjects relating to government and public policy, including a 20-volume series of studies of democratic elections around the world. She has done a variety of freelance work; most recently editing Christina Hoff Sommers’ forthcoming book, The War on Boys. Winkler received a B.A in history and French from Tufts University and an M.A. in medieval history.

Jean Kennedy Smith, this semester's Elizabeth B. and Dennis B. Heffernan Visiting Fellow, served as ambassador to Ireland from 1993 to 1998. Since 1964, she has been a member of the board of trustees of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, which provides grants to promote awareness and advocacy in the field of mental retardation. She has also been a member of board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, 1964 to present. In 1974, she founded Very Special Arts, an educational affiliate that provides opportunities in the creative arts for people with disabilities. Her book, Chronicles of Courage: Very Special Artists, was published in 1993. In addition to a number of honorary degrees, she has received various awards including the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service from the American Institute for Public Service; the Margaret Mead Humanitarian Award from the Council of Cerebral Palsy Auxiliaries; the International Award from the Rotary Club of Chicago; and the 1997 Cardinal Cooke Humanitarian Award from the Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center. Kennedy Smith is a graduate of Manhattanville College in New York and is a resident of New York state.