Whittier College News Release

Whittier College
Office of Public Relations
13406 Philadelphia St.
P.O. Box 634
Whittier, CA 90608-0634

Media Contact: Dana Rakoczy at (562) 907-4974
Reference: 2004-05 #6

Conservative Politics in the 20th Century: A History Lesson for Today’s Voters

          Whittier, CA (October 6, 2004)--Stanley Kutler and Rick Perlstein, two well-known writers on the history of the presidency and the contemporary political scene, will head a discussion on “Conservative Politics in the 20th Century: A History Lesson for Today’s Voters,” on Tuesday, October 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts on the Whittier College campus. Steve Wasserman, editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review, will moderate the panel. This event is free and open to the public.

          “Richard Nixon’s alma mater is the perfect place to discuss the history of conservative politics,” said Laura McEnaney, associate professor of history, “especially on the eve of the presidential election. We have the author of the definitive books on Nixon’s presidency and Watergate along with a journalist and historian who has written about Barry Goldwater’s historic presidential contest and the rise of the conservative movement.”

          Kutler, professor emeritus of law and E. Gordon Fox Professor of American Institutions at the University of Wisconsin Law School, recently published Abuse of Power: The New Nixon Tapes. His other books include The Wars of Watergate: The Last Crisis of Richard Nixon and The American Inquisition, for which he received the 1983 Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association. He has also authored or edited several textbooks in various fields of American history and his articles have appeared in leading history and legal periodicals.

          Perlstein writes for The Village Voice in New York. He is the author of Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus and co-author of Healing Richard Nixon: A Doctor’s Memoir.

          The Shannon Center is located at the northeast corner of Painter Ave. and Philadelphia St. on the Whittier College campus.

          This program is jointly sponsored by the Whittier College history and political science departments; the offices of the president, the vice president for academic affairs, dean of faculty, and dean of students; and the Johnson and Hartley faculty.

Located 18 miles east of Los Angeles, Whittier College is an independent, four-year college offering traditional liberal arts majors and strong pre-professional programs taught in the context of the liberal arts. Whittier Law School, which is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools, is located on a separate campus.