The newly-appointed White House Chief of Staff, John D. Podesta, is a 1971
graduate of Knox College who spoke at Knox's Commencement exercises last
June (left). Podesta's appointment was reported by news services on Saturday, October 17. He has been deputy chief of staff since 1996, and was awarded an
honorary degree by Knox in recognition of his career in public service. [300 dpi photo, 890K]In his Commencement address, Podesta, a student activist at Knox, spoke about the continuing tradition of social justice at Knox College.
"From its founding, Knox College was a hotbed of abolitionism [and] the intertwined passions of religion, morality and politics ... spread beyond the men and women to the surrounding community.... Over the next century, Knox remained committed to progressive change..."
"The struggle for civil rights was the spark that lit the fire that disturbed and then transformed America.... [In 1968], I sat on this lawn, and--in between catching a baseball or a frisbee or just a glimpse of one of those magnificent Midwestern sunsets--my classmates, professors and I engaged in our own first amendment exercise--debated, ranted, chanted, protested, took over Old Main in what was a pretty genteel sit-in, and generally carried on.... As many of your parents will admit, ... it was an exhilarating time to be a student...."
"We engaged ourselves--like the witnesses to the historic Lincoln-Douglas debates--in the actions and passions of our times," Podesta said.
He spoke of how his Knox College education helped make possible his subsequent success.
"One month ago, I stood on the White House lawn and I watched as President Clinton, the man I'm proud to work for, greeted the Italian prime minister, Romano Prodi. It caused me to think about my grandparents, who came to America from Italy at the turn of the century and struggled their whole lives, never attending school, living in a walkup tenement in downtown Chicago, my grandfather working as a stevedore. And I thought of my father, who had to quit high school after one year to support his family, who worked in factories his whole life, but who kept pushing my brother and myself to get a good education. I realized that I couldn't have been on that lawn without the support--quite literally the scholarship and financial support, but as importantly the educational and emotional support that Knox College gave me."
"What a profound gift--the chance to dance with my daughter in the White House at the state dinner for the prime minister of the country of my forebears. I am forever grateful to this school."
Podesta also discussed his passion for the TV series "X-Files.'"
"... In my office at the White House I have a little table which I've converted into an 'X-Files' shrine, with copies of books, fan magazines, CD-ROMs, photos of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. A TV fictional drama about a government conspiracy to cover up the existence of extraterrestrial life. Where else but the White House would someone grab on to the 'X-Files' in a desperate attempt to cling to reality?"
Podesta graduated from Knox College with a B. A. degree in psychology and went on to law school at Georgetown University.
Even as a Knox freshman, Podesta was an active presence on the campus. He joined Student Senate, was a member of the Viet Nam Day committee, and was the campus coordinator for Students for McCarthy. During the summer of his freshman year, he volunteered to work the Iowa caucuses for Presidential hopeful Eugene McCarthy. Heavily involved in the anti-Vietnam War student movement, Podesta credits Knox for "nurturing my sense of the importance of activism and public policy" as well as giving him a broad-based liberal arts education that he describes as "a model for anyone pursuing a career in government."
After receiving his J.D. degree from Georgetown in 1976, Podesta worked as an attorney for the Justice Department. In 1979, he moved to the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue for what turned out to be almost a decade-long association with the Senate. As a senior aide to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), he was counsel to several Judiciary subcommittees, including law and technology and patents, copyrights and trademarks. During this time he became an expert on information-gathering and privacy issues. In 1987, when Leahy was named chair of the Agriculture Committee, Podesta became that committee's chief counsel.
Then in 1988 came a career change. Podesta and his brother Anthony joined forces to found Podesta Associates, a Washington, D.C., consulting firm that has provided research, lobbying and campaign support for many progressive causes.
Podesta took time off to work for both the Dukakis and Clinton presidential campaigns. Given his wide-ranging background and familiarity with policy issues, Podesta's duties for the Clinton campaign focused on helping the Democratic candidate prepare for the Presidential debates, along with many other "odds and ends," policy position research and--inevitably--fund-raising.
In 1993, Podesta was appointed assistant to the President and staff secretary, a post he held until April 1995. During this time, Podesta earned a reputation for his effectiveness in shepherding controversial Clinton nominees for top government posts through tough confirmation battles in the Senate.
From 1995 until his reappointment to the White House as deputy chief of staff in December 1996, Podesta taught as a visiting professor of law at Georgetown University.
Editor's Note: Two Knox College professors who can be contacted to speak about their memories of Podesta as a student are Robert F. Seibert, Robert W. Murphy Professor of Political Science and Gary Francois, Szold Distinguished Service Professor of Psychology.