Lee Hamilton '52 Remembers His Friend and Fellow Statesman, Former Sen. Richard Lugar

April 28, 2019

"The Congress has become much more hyper partisan, polarized, and the example that Dick Lugar set in working across the aisle needs to be elevated," says Lee Hamilton, former congressman and 1952 graduate of DePauw University.  Hamilton is a longtime friend of Lugar, the former longtime U.S. Senator from Indiana who died this morning at age 87.

Hamilton, a Democrat who served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, tells WBAA that Lugar, a Republican, was a model statesman. "Approachable. Accessible. Those are all very common traits of Indiana that he brought to the table and I think had a worldwide impact."

Hamilton and Lugar were on the DePauw campus in February 2018 to discuss "Restoring Civility in Public and Political Discourse in the U.S. and Abroad.  It is summarized here; video is below.

Dick Lugar represented Indiana in the United States Senate for six terms -- the longest such tenure in state history. During that time, Lugar exercised leadership on issues such as food security, nuclear non-proliferation, energy independence, and free trade.

Before his election to the Senate, Lugar served on the Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners and served two terms as mayor of Indianapolis. (at left: Lugar with DePauw President William E. Kerstetter on May 21, 1972 after receiving an honorary doctorate)

Over more than 40 years Senator Lugar made many visits to the DePauw campus, delivering an Ubben Lecture in 2004 and was awarded the University's McNaughton Medal for Public Service as well as an honorary doctorate from DePauw.

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