This Thursday, October 12th, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
The Patrick J. Leahy Public Policy Forum
THE LEGACY OF U.S. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY
Working with the Presidents: From Ford to Biden with
Former United States Senator Patrick Leahy
Retired United States Senator Patrick J. Leahy will speak about his remarkable political career at Bennington College's Elizabeth Coleman Center for the Advancement of Public Action (CAPA) on Thursday, October 12 at 7PM. The discussion will be moderated by State Senator Brian Campion.
Sen. Leahy retired in January 2023 following eight terms in the U.S. Senate, where he represented Vermont for 48 years. He served as President Pro Tempore of the Senate twice, from 2012-2015 and from 2021-2023. He chaired three major committees—Appropriations, Judiciary, and Agriculture—during a tenure that began in 1975. He retired as the third-longest-serving senator in the nation’s history.
A native of Montpelier, he served multiple terms as State’s Attorney beginning in 1966. He went on to become the state’s longest-serving U.S. senator and the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Vermont.
Sen. Leahy’s legacy in the Senate is defined largely by his support for agriculture, environmental protection, preservation of nature, technology and health care – much of which benefited Vermont directly. His introduction of small-state minimums in budget bills effectively appropriated billions of dollars of additional funding to his home state.
Our newly titled The Patrick J. Leahy Public Policy Forum is dedicated this term to the legacy of Senator Leahy and what effects this had on our democracy. Patrick J. Leahy was United States Senator from Vermont from 1975 to 2023, a career that put him front and center in American history for almost fifty years. This Fall's series invites historians, politicians, and those who know Leahy best to discuss and analyze the key policies that have impacted history, our democracy and the future of the United States.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
