Crimson on the Hill

Harvard's Capitol Hill alumni (defined for this exercise as graduates of or matriculants in a degree program) will drop from 42 members in the 108th Congress to 41 members in the 109th, based on the 2004 election results. That total includes 29 Democrats (up two), 11 Republicans (down three), and one Independent (unchanged).

Three alumni did not run for reelection: Republican congressmen Douglas K. Bereuter, M.C.P. '66, M.P.A. '73, of Nebraska and Amory Houghton Jr. '50, M.B.A. '52, of New York, and Democratic senator Bob Graham, LL.B. '62, of Florida, who sought the presidency. Republican Patrick J. Toomey '84 of Pennsylvania, first elected to the House in 1998, who had promised to serve only three terms, mount ed a primary challenge against fellow Republican Arlen Specter, the state's senior senator, but lost in a close vote.

Toomey's House colleague David Vitter '83, Republican of Louisiana, did win a seat in the Senate, and will be joined by Barack Obama, J.D. '91, Democrat of Illinois. In the House, Democrats will welcome newcomer John Barrow, J.D. '79, of Georgia and Brian Higgins, M.P.A. '96, of New York. The line up follows (asterisks mark newcomers).

 

SENATE REPUBLICANS: Michael D. Crapo, J.D. '77 (Id.); Elizabeth Dole, M.A. '60, J.D. '65 (N.C.); William H. Frist, M.D. '78 (Tenn.); Ted Stevens, LL.B. '50 (Alaska); John E. Sununu, M.B.A. '91 (N.H.); *David Vitter '83 (La.).

 

SENATE DEMOCRATS: Jeff Bingaman '65 (N.M.); Russ Feingold, J.D. '79 (Wisc.); Edward M. Kennedy '54 (Mass.); Herbert H. Kohl, M.B.A. '58 (Wisc.); Carl Levin, LL.B. '59 (Mich.); *Barack Obama, J.D. '91 (Ill.); John F. (Jack) Reed, M.P.P. '73, J.D. '82 (R.I.); John D. Rockefeller IV '58 (W.V.); Paul S. Sarbanes, J.D. '60 (Md.); Charles E. Schumer '71, J.D. '74 (N.Y.).

 

SENATE INDEPENDENT: James M. Jeffords, LL.B. '62 (Vt.).


 

HOUSE REPUBLICANS: C. Christopher Cox, M.B.A. '75, J.D. '77 (Calif.); Katherine Harris, M.P.A. '97 (Fla.); Nancy L. Johnson '57 (Conn.); Thomas E. Petri '62, LL.B. '65 (Wisc.); Robert R. Simmons, G '73, M.P.A. '79 (Conn.).


 

HOUSE DEMOCRATS: Thomas H. Allen, J.D. '74 (Maine); *John Barrow, J.D. '79 (Ga.); James H. Cooper, J.D. '80 (Tenn.); Artur Davis '90, J.D. '93 (Ala.); Chet Edwards, M.B.A. '81 (Tex.); Barney Frank '61, G '62-'68, J.D. '77 (Mass.); Jane Harman, J.D. '69 (Calif.); *Brian Higgins, M.P.A. '96 (N.Y.); William J. Jefferson, J.D. '72 (La.); Ron Kind '85 (Wisc.); James R. Langevin, M.P.A. '94 (R.I.); Sander M. Levin, LL.B. '57 (Mich.); Stephen F. Lynch, M.P.A. '99 (Mass.); James D. Matheson '82 (Utah); Adam B. Schiff, J.D. '85 (Calif.); Robert C. Scott '69 (Va.); Bradley J. Sherman, J.D. '79 (Calif.); Christopher Van Hollen Jr., M.P.P. '85 (Md.); David Wu, M '81 (Ore.).


 

The roster above omits legislators who have taught at the University or participated in Harvard programs, but have not enrolled for a degree—such as newly elected Republican congressman Michael McCaul of Texas, a senior executive fellow at the Kennedy School for 2002.

 

Click here for the January-February 2005 issue table of contents

You might also like

“A Game of Inches”

Harvard women’s basketball prepares for its rematch with Columbia. 

Nieman Foundation Leader Departs

Ann Marie Lipinski led the organization through a time of unprecedented change for journalism.

Most popular

A Culinary Journey

At the Radcliffe Institute, chef Michael Twitty traces the food legacy of enslavement.

The “Wild West” of Cancer Misinformation Online

At Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health, experts discuss web and social media cancer misinformation

The Irresistible Allison Feaster

A basketball star's journey from the Harvard hardwood to the Celtics front office

Explore More From Current Issue

Is Gambling Becoming a Public Health Crisis?

Responding to the explosive growth of online gambling and sports betting, a new report urges governments to regulate with public health in mind.

The New Boston Athenaeum

Find “the joy of discovery and power of this unique place.”

A Contentious Era for U.S. Higher Education

President emeritus Neil L. Rudenstine on changes in the academy and society that made universities more contentious—and diminished support for humane learning