Sen. Thad Cochran to Speak at Duke Oct. 19
Cochran is expected to draw on his 28-year Senate tenure to provide insight into the Senate’s history and its role in American politics
Thursday, October 12, 2006
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Durham, NC -- U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, will deliver a public lecture, “The U.S. Senate: Looking Backward, Moving Forward,” at Duke University on Thursday, Oct. 19.
In delivering the 2006 Terry Sanford Distinguished Lecture, Cochran is expected to draw on his 28-year Senate tenure to provide insight into the Senate’s history and its role in American politics. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, begins at 2 p.m. in the Terry Sanford Institute for Public Policy on Duke’s West Campus.
“This lectureship honors the Sanford Institute’s founder, who was committed to responsible leadership,” said institute Director Bruce Kuniholm. “We are pleased that Senator Cochran, who has dedicated his career to public service on behalf of the people of Mississippi, will help us honor Terry Sanford’s legacy.”
Selected this year as one of America’s 10 most influential senators by Time magazine, which called him “The Quiet Persuader,” Cochran worked with Gulf Coast leaders to persuade Congress to double the amount originally pledged for Hurricane Katrina recovery. As Appropriations Committee chairman, Cochran is known for using behind-the-scenes influence rather than public demands to accomplish his goals.
A member of the Senate since 1978 and a former U.S. congressman, Cochran was past chair of the Agricultural, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. He is serving his fifth term in the U.S. Senate.
His legislative record includes the sponsorship of the National Missile Defense Act of 1999, the Campaign Finance Reform Act, as well as key provisions of several farm bills. Cochran’s environmental protection efforts, such as his authorship of the Mississippi Wilderness Act (the first federal legislation passed for the perpetual protection of lands in Mississippi), earned him The Nature Conservancy’s lifetime achievement award.
The Terry Sanford Distinguished Lecture was endowed by a gift to the university from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust in honor of the late Terry Sanford, who served as North Carolina governor and U.S. senator, and as Duke president for 16 years. Previous lecturers include former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, former Harvard President Derek Bok and U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman.
