Larry Lee Pressler
Encyclopedia
Larry Lee Pressler is a U.S.
Republican
politician
. He was the first Vietnam veteran
to be elected to the United States Senate
. On November 10, 2009 President Barack Obama named Larry Pressler to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad
.
, Pressler is a graduate of the University of South Dakota
, Oxford University (attending St. Edmund Hall
as a Rhodes Scholar), the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University, and Harvard Law School
. He became a lawyer
, and then served in the Vietnam War
in the United States Army
from 1966 until 1968. After serving for several years in the State Department
as a Foreign Service Officer he was elected to the House of Representatives from 1975 to 1979. He was a Senator
from South Dakota
from 1979 to 1997, and was chairman of the Commerce Committee
from 1995 to 1997.
Pressler then authored and won overwhelming congressional and presidential approval of a sweeping reform of telecommunications legislations through the Telecommunications Act of 1996
. Pressler negotiated the compromises that gained the support of diverse industry groups in telecom, broadcasting, and cable TV, as well as of the Bill Clinton
White House, state utility commissions, and public morality advocates.
Ironically, though the law was touted as a 'rare legislative achievement in terms of bipartisan reform', it led to Pressler’s defeat in his re-election bid for a fourth Senate term, losing to Tim Johnson in 1996. Johnson argued that instead of promoting the economy of his home state of South Dakota, Pressler was promoting out-of-state business and high-tech industries and was in turn supported by them. Pressler was the only incumbent Republican senator to lose reelection that year.
Senator Pressler has remained active in the political arena. In 2000, he was a member of Republican Presidential Candidate George W. Bush's Information Technology Steering Committee, and also served on the Bush Presidential Transition Team in 2001.
Pressler attempted a political comeback in 2002 by running for South Dakota's open at-large House seat but he essentially discontinued his campaign when Republican Governor William J. Janklow unexpectedly entered the race. Pressler was also appointed as an official observer of Ukraine
's national election in December 2004.
In 2008, Pressler revealed that he cast an absentee ballot for Barack Obama
, noting that he had never voted for a Democrat before.
investigations in 1980. John Murtha
also declined the bribe, but expressed interest in later opportunities. The Washington Post reported in a front page story on Sunday, February 4 the following:
In an overall review of the Abscam cases, Judge J. Pratt had the highest praise for Senator Pressler. "Pressler, particularly, acted as citizens have a right to expect their elected representatives to act. He showed a clear awareness of the line between proper and improper conduct, and despite his confessed need for campaign money, and despite the additional attractiveness to him of the payment offered, he nevertheless refused to cross into impropriety."
George H. W. Bush
determined that Pakistan had developed such a weapon, aid and many commercial relations to Pakistan were cut off. However, Pakistan had already footed the $463.7 million bill for a fleet of F-16 aircraft and had emerged empty-handed from this aborted purchase. More than eight years after George H.W. Bush issued the Pressler sanctions, Clinton agreed in December 1998 that the United States would eventually reimburse Pakistan.
After his reelection defeat, Pressler passed the New York bar and worked as a lawyer. Pressler subsequently became senior partner of the law firm O'Connor and Hannan where he served for six years, and then formed his own law firm, The Pressler Group. Pressler is a member of the New York Bar, the Washington DC Bar, and the Supreme Court Bar.
Pressler currently serves on several corporate boards and is a visiting professor and Senior Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles
. He is the Thomas Hawkins Johnson Visiting Scholar at the United States Military Academy
, where he lectures on international relations and has advised cadets seeking Rhodes scholarships and other graduate fellowships. In the ten years since leaving Congress, Pressler has served as a senior adviser to Salomon Smith Barney, Monticello Capital, Blackhorse Asset Management and Leopard Capital's Leopard Sri Lanka Fund. Pressler has lectured at more than twenty universities in China, India and the U.S. Pressler and currently lives and works in both Washington, D.C., and New York City.
In 2010 Pressler was appointed to the board the Jericho Project’s Veterans Advisory Council which assists homeless veterans in the Bronx.
Pressler has also been appointed to the board of directors for the Baruch School of Public Affairs in New York City.
He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
.
). He was awarded a Fulbright Senior Lectureship at the University of Bologna
, Italy
for Spring semester 2009 and lectured on international relations from January to June 2009.
Pressler was awarded the following medals and citations for his two tours of duty as a U.S. Army Lieutenant
(1967–68) in Vietnam
: (which are included on his DD Form 214
) Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation with one Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars, Vietnam Campaign Ribbon with Device, Overseas Service Bars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation Badge.
Pressler is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
fraternity, the Phi Beta Kappa National Association, the Century Association
and the Harvard Club of New York
, the Cosmos Club
and the Metropolitan Club
of Washington, D.C., the Vietnam Veterans Association, and the American Rhodes Scholars Association
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He was the first Vietnam veteran
Vietnam veteran
Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War.The term has been used to describe veterans who were in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States armed forces, and countries allied to them, whether or...
to be elected to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. On November 10, 2009 President Barack Obama named Larry Pressler to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad
U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad
The U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad is an independent agency of the Government of the United States of America. It was established by U.S. Public Law 99-83 . The law directs the Commission to -- identify and report on cemeteries, monuments, and historic buildings...
.
Background
Born in Humboldt, South DakotaHumboldt, South Dakota
Humboldt is a town in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 589 at the 2010 census.-History:The town was named after German scientist, explorer and diplomat Alexander von Humboldt.-Geography:...
, Pressler is a graduate of the University of South Dakota
University of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota ', the state’s oldest university, was founded in 1862 and classes began in 1882. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, USD is home to South Dakota's only medical school and law school. USD is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, and its current...
, Oxford University (attending St. Edmund Hall
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
as a Rhodes Scholar), the John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University, and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
. He became a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, and then served in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
from 1966 until 1968. After serving for several years in the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
as a Foreign Service Officer he was elected to the House of Representatives from 1975 to 1979. He was a Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
from 1979 to 1997, and was chairman of the Commerce Committee
United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is a standing committee of the United States Senate in charge of all senate matters related to the following subjects:* Coast Guard* Coastal zone management* Communications...
from 1995 to 1997.
Political career
Larry Pressler was a member of Congress for twenty-two years, serving in the U.S. House (R-S.D.) from 1975–1979 and a member of the U.S. Senate (R-S.D.) from 1979-1997. Pressler held such notable positions as the Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Science and Transportation Committee, Foreign Relations Committee and European and Asian Subcommittees. He briefly sought the Republican Presidential Nomination in 1980.Pressler then authored and won overwhelming congressional and presidential approval of a sweeping reform of telecommunications legislations through the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
. Pressler negotiated the compromises that gained the support of diverse industry groups in telecom, broadcasting, and cable TV, as well as of the Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
White House, state utility commissions, and public morality advocates.
Ironically, though the law was touted as a 'rare legislative achievement in terms of bipartisan reform', it led to Pressler’s defeat in his re-election bid for a fourth Senate term, losing to Tim Johnson in 1996. Johnson argued that instead of promoting the economy of his home state of South Dakota, Pressler was promoting out-of-state business and high-tech industries and was in turn supported by them. Pressler was the only incumbent Republican senator to lose reelection that year.
Senator Pressler has remained active in the political arena. In 2000, he was a member of Republican Presidential Candidate George W. Bush's Information Technology Steering Committee, and also served on the Bush Presidential Transition Team in 2001.
Pressler attempted a political comeback in 2002 by running for South Dakota's open at-large House seat but he essentially discontinued his campaign when Republican Governor William J. Janklow unexpectedly entered the race. Pressler was also appointed as an official observer of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
's national election in December 2004.
In 2008, Pressler revealed that he cast an absentee ballot for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, noting that he had never voted for a Democrat before.
Abscam investigation
Pressler is noted for being possibly the only member of Congress to flatly refuse to take a bribe from undercover FBI agents and then to report the bribe attempt to the FBI during the AbscamAbscam
Abscam was a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation sting operation run from the FBI's Hauppauge, Long Island, office in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
investigations in 1980. John Murtha
John Murtha
John Patrick "Jack" Murtha, Jr. was an American politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010....
also declined the bribe, but expressed interest in later opportunities. The Washington Post reported in a front page story on Sunday, February 4 the following:
Thanks to the FBI's undercover "sting" operation, there now exists incontrovertible evidence that one senator would not be bought. Preserved among the videotape footage that may be used as bribery evidence against a number of members of Congress, there is a special moment in which Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD) tells the undercover agents, in effect, to take their sting and stick it. Pressler, according to law enforcement sources was the one approached member of Congress who flatly refused to consider financial favors in exchange for legislative favors, as suggested by undercover agents posing as Arabs. At the time he said he was not aware that he was doing anything quite so heroic.
In an overall review of the Abscam cases, Judge J. Pratt had the highest praise for Senator Pressler. "Pressler, particularly, acted as citizens have a right to expect their elected representatives to act. He showed a clear awareness of the line between proper and improper conduct, and despite his confessed need for campaign money, and despite the additional attractiveness to him of the payment offered, he nevertheless refused to cross into impropriety."
Pressler Amendment involving Pakistan
Pressler was also the key sponsor of the "Pressler Amendment", which banned most economic and military assistance to Pakistan unless the President certified on an annual basis that “Pakistan does not possess a nuclear explosive device and that the proposed United States assistance program will reduce significantly the risk that Pakistan will possess a nuclear explosive device.” No President has issued this certification since October 1989. When PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
determined that Pakistan had developed such a weapon, aid and many commercial relations to Pakistan were cut off. However, Pakistan had already footed the $463.7 million bill for a fleet of F-16 aircraft and had emerged empty-handed from this aborted purchase. More than eight years after George H.W. Bush issued the Pressler sanctions, Clinton agreed in December 1998 that the United States would eventually reimburse Pakistan.
Non-Political Career
Since leaving the U.S. Senate in 1997, Senator Pressler has pursued a business and teaching career. His business pursuits have largely centered on a telecommunications law practice; lobbying; and serving on corporate and advisory boards of several companies.After his reelection defeat, Pressler passed the New York bar and worked as a lawyer. Pressler subsequently became senior partner of the law firm O'Connor and Hannan where he served for six years, and then formed his own law firm, The Pressler Group. Pressler is a member of the New York Bar, the Washington DC Bar, and the Supreme Court Bar.
Pressler currently serves on several corporate boards and is a visiting professor and Senior Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. He is the Thomas Hawkins Johnson Visiting Scholar at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, where he lectures on international relations and has advised cadets seeking Rhodes scholarships and other graduate fellowships. In the ten years since leaving Congress, Pressler has served as a senior adviser to Salomon Smith Barney, Monticello Capital, Blackhorse Asset Management and Leopard Capital's Leopard Sri Lanka Fund. Pressler has lectured at more than twenty universities in China, India and the U.S. Pressler and currently lives and works in both Washington, D.C., and New York City.
In 2010 Pressler was appointed to the board the Jericho Project’s Veterans Advisory Council which assists homeless veterans in the Bronx.
Pressler has also been appointed to the board of directors for the Baruch School of Public Affairs in New York City.
He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy is an international, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Berlin. Founded in 1999 by Mark Donfried, its activities focus on promoting and developing the field of cultural diplomacy by conducting research, initiatives and programs, holding...
.
Achievements and associations
Pressler was an Adjunct Professor of Telecommunication/Internet Policy at Baruch College (City University of New YorkCity University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
). He was awarded a Fulbright Senior Lectureship at the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for Spring semester 2009 and lectured on international relations from January to June 2009.
Pressler was awarded the following medals and citations for his two tours of duty as a U.S. Army Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
(1967–68) in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
: (which are included on his DD Form 214
DD Form 214
The DD Form 214, officially DD Form 214 "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", but generally referred to as a "DD 214", is a document of the United States Department of Defense, issued upon a military service member's retirement, separation or discharge from active-duty...
) Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation with one Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars, Vietnam Campaign Ribbon with Device, Overseas Service Bars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation Badge.
Pressler is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
fraternity, the Phi Beta Kappa National Association, the Century Association
Century Association
__notoc__The Century Association is a private club in New York City. It evolved out of an earlier organization – the Sketch Club, founded in 1829 by editor and poet William Cullen Bryant and his friends – and was established in 1847 by Bryant and others as a club to promote interest in...
and the Harvard Club of New York
Harvard Club of New York
The Harvard Club of New York is a private club in Midtown Manhattan, New York, New York, USA. Anyone who has attended Harvard University may apply to become a member. Incorporated in 1887, it is housed in adjoining lots at 27 West 44th Street and 35 West 44th Street...
, the Cosmos Club
Cosmos Club
The Cosmos Club is a private social club in Washington, D.C., founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878. In addition to Powell, original members included Clarence Edward Dutton, Henry Smith Pritchett, William Harkness, and John Shaw Billings. Among its stated goals is "The advancement of its members in...
and the Metropolitan Club
Metropolitan Club
The Metropolitan Club is a private social club in New York City. It was formed in 1891 by J.P. Morgan, who served as its first president. Other original members included William K. Vanderbilt and James Roosevelt. Its 1912 clubhouse, designed by Stanford White, stands at 1-11 East 60th Street, on...
of Washington, D.C., the Vietnam Veterans Association, and the American Rhodes Scholars Association
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
.