Please join us for this special Danforth Distinguished Lecture Series event moderated by Professor R. Marie Griffith. She will host the discussion between two of the nation’s most dedicated public servants as they explore the current relationship of religion and politics in the United States.
Senator John C. Danforth(R-MO) During his 26 years in public office, Senator Danforth focused on bringing economic growth and a better future to America and Missouri.
He graduated with honors from Princeton University and received a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Yale Law School. After practicing law in New York and St. Louis, Danforth began his political career in 1968 when he was elected Attorney General of Missouri, his first race for public office. He was re-elected to that post in 1972. Missouri voters elected him to the U.S. Senate in 1976 and he was re-elected in 1982 and 1988.
While in the Senate, Danforth initiated major legislation in the areas of international trade, telecommunications, health care, research & development, transportation, and civil rights. After returning to St. Louis, he was appointed Special Counsel by Attorney General Janet Reno to investigate the federal raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Later he represented the United States as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and served as Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan. He is the author of Faith and Politics: How the “Moral Values” Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together (Viking, 2006) and is currently working on another book about the relationship of religion and politics to be published in 2015.
Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) A lifelong public servant, including four terms in the United States Senate, Joe Lieberman has earned a reputation as a thoughtful legislator and an effective leader for the state of Connecticut and the nation.
Perhaps best known as the Democratic candidate for Vice President in 2000, Senator Lieberman received his bachelor’s degree from Yale College in 1964 and his law degree from Yale Law School in 1967. Senator Lieberman was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1970 and served there for ten years, including the last six as Majority Leader. In 1980, he returned to private legal practice for two years, and from 1983 through 1988, he served as Connecticut’s 21st Attorney General.
Senator Lieberman was first elected to the United States Senate in 1988. In 2006, he was elected to a fourth term as an Independent, because of the strength of his record and his accomplishments for the state. During his service, Lieberman was the Senate’s leading champion of legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security to better protect the nation from terrorist attacks. Senator Lieberman supported economic policies that spark business growth and led the successful legislative efforts to repeal the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. He also helped negotiate the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. He is the author of The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath (Howard Books, 2012) and In Praise of Public Life (Simon & Schuster, 2000).
This event is part of an ongoing series, the Danforth Distinguished Lectures, sponsored by the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics.
Senator John C. Danforth (R-MO)
