thumb David Richmond Gergen (last name ; born May 9, 1942) is an American political consultant and presidential advisor during the administrations of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. He is currently Director of the Center for Public Leadership and a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School. [1]

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Family and education

Gergen was born in Durham, North Carolina. He has a brother, Kenneth J. Gergen, a psychologist and professor at Swarthmore College. Gergen earned his bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1963. In 1967, he received his law degree from Harvard University, and currently is a member of the D.C. Bar. That same year Gergen married Anne Gergen of England. She is a family therapist and they live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They have two children, Christopher and Katherine.

Gergen served in the U.S. Navy for three-and-a-half years, serving on a ship home-ported in Japan, and is a well-known proponent of mandatory national service.

Professional career

Political activity

In addition to serving in the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations, Gergen was also a campaign staffer for George H. W. Bush's 1980 presidential campaign. Despite his long-standing association with Republicans, Gergen has stated that he is actually an independent, ^[2] and served as an adviser to Democratic President Bill Clinton, first as a Counselor on both foreign policy and domestic affairs and then as Special International Advisor to then-Secretary of State Warren Christopher. ^[3]

Educational, journalistic and other professional activities

Following his years in public service, Gergen has been actively involved in higher education. As of 2006, Gergen is a professor of public service at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and director of its Center for Public Leadership. ^[4] A Durham native, Gergen has also taught at Duke University, where he is now a trustee. Gergen served as Elon University's inaugural Isabella Cannon Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership and as the Chair of the Elon University School of Law Advisory Board.

Gergen has had a long career in journalism and political commentary. From 1984 to 1993, Gergen worked for U.S. News & World Report, including two-and-a-half years during which he served as editor. During that period, he was a regular commentator for five years on the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, providing a conservative viewpoint counterposed to that of Mark Shields. During his tenure, Gergen had the opportunity to interview many leading intellectuals, including American philosopher Martha Nussbaum. ^[5]

Gergen's frequent television appearances as a political commentator and pundit occasionally made him the target of satire. In a biting critique of the pedantic and frequently self-evident predictions made on some televised political talk programs, humorist Joe Bob Briggs made the observation that David Gergen bore an uncanny resemblance to The Cat in the Hat. ^[6]

Following his service in the Clinton Administration, Gergen resumed his relationship with U.S. News, and currently serves as editor-at-large. He is also the author of the NY Times Bestseller Eyewitness to Power, describing his views of the Presidents he worked for - Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. In addition, Gergen is a political contributor to CNN and frequently appears on Anderson Cooper 360. He also appears on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. He moderated PBS's World@Large discussion program for two seasons.

Gergen is active on many non-profit boards and is Chairman of the National Selection Committee for the Ford Foundation’s program on Innovations in American Government. He is a member of the Bohemian Club ^[7], Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission. ^[8]

See also

• List of U.S. political appointments that crossed party lines

References

1. HKS Faculty Biography
2. David Gergen, Master of The Game, October 31, 1993, New York Times.
3. Our Team: PROFESSOR DAVID GERGEN, 2006-2007, Oxford International Review.
4. Biographical Note: David Gergen, 2006, Fora.TV.
5. "Culture Wars"
6. Schmitt, Mark, ''Straight Line Projections'' http://markschmitt.typepad.com/decembrist/2006/03/straightline_pr.html
7. "Alex Jones interview with David Gergen" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRum2WxK55E
8. David Gergen Biography