John Culver named to lead Harvard political institute

Former U.S. Sen. John C. Culver has been named interim director of the Institute of Politics (IOP) at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The announcement was made today by Harvard Kennedy School Dean David T. Ellwood.  Culver, the father of Iowa Gov. Chet Culver, will assume his new duties July 1 and will serve until a permanent director is named.

Culver served five terms in Congress as a Democratic representative from Iowa's second district, winning his first election in 1964.  He was elected to the Senate in 1974, where he served until 1981. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Culver is a graduate of both Harvard College and Harvard Law School.  He was inducted into the Harvard University Football Hall of Fame in 1978.  Culver recently retired from the Washington law firm of Arent Fox, where he established the government affairs practice. He is the co-author of American Dreamer: The Life and Times of Henry A. Wallace.

A former Harvard overseer, Culver has served on the IOP's Senior Advisory Committee since 1975 and as chair of the committee for the past 14 years.