Government for the People: Reflections of a White House Counsel to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson

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During the turbulent 1960s, Lee C. White contributed in quiet ways to addressing and resolving the nation's most intractable civil rights problems, and played an early role in identifying and promoting environmental protection causes, as a Special Counsel to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Laced with anecdotes and humor, Government for the People is Lee White's story of his pursuits in the legislative and executive branches of government and in private legal practice.

Inspired by Senator George W. Norris, Republican of Nebraska, Lee White traversed the political lines of the legislative branch of government working for two of the most highly respected and admired United States Senators, John F. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and John Sherman Cooper, Republican of Kentucky. He observed up close the workings of the Hoover Commission, charged with recommending policies to improve operations of the executive branch of government, as a right hand to former Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy. In the executive branch, White served, first, as a lawyer in the legal division of the Tennessee Valley Authority, and, later, as Chairman of the Federal Power Commission.

As a lawyer in private practice and a vigorous consumer advocate, Lee White led the Energy Policy Task Force of the Consumer Federation of America during the 1970s, advocating consumer interests before Congress and public forums. His many varied and challenging post-Government activities included having a ringside seat in the 1972 presidential election as campaign manager for George McGovern's Vice Presidential running mate, R. Sargent Shriver.

Based on a career devoted to the public interest aspects of legal and policy issues, and writing with as much political objectivity as he can garner, Lee White concludes his memoirs by contrasting the presidential administrations in which he served with that of President George W. Bush.

Reviews

An American Dream story of an unusual man who moved quietly and effectively in the corridors of political power. Through informative anecdotes laced with humor, he shares his perceptions of historical characters and events and the varied roles he played in a colorful life of public service. You will agree with his modest assessment that his experiences were 'pretty heady stuff for this kid from Nebraska'. -- Milton Greenberg, Professor Emeritus of Government, Former Provost and Interim President, American University
Lee Whiteas my classmate, colleague in Kennedy's senate office, and Deputy in the White Househas been an invaluable as well as brilliant friend for more than half a century. His story will inspire many. -- Ted Sorensen, Former Special Counsel to President John F. Kennedy
Government for the People is an anecdotal romp through political Washington of the 1950s and 60s, packed with engrossing asides about the oddities of people's names, their golf games, and their driving habits....It's the kind of humor, gentle yet quick, that shows throughout Government for the People. * Legal Times *
With a gift for storytelling and an easy conversational style of writing, Lee White brings to vivid life the dramatic decade of the 1960s while taking us on a wonderful journey through an honorable life dedicated to public service. -- Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian
Lee White has written a first-hand account of contemporary American history. Well-written and briskly paced, it takes us from White's early days as a lawyer, through the Kennedy and Johnson White Houses and a fulfilling career beyond those heady days. Great reading for those who want an insider's perspective on the Congress, the White House, and the practice of law in Washington. -- Warren B. Rudman, Former Senator from New Hampshire
Lee White had fun working in the White House for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and gives an intimate picture of both Presidents that only a White House staffer could know. I found it charming, interestingand suffered a bad attack of nostalgia. -- Nicholas deBelleville Katzenbach, Former U.S. Attorney General
I am fascinated with the kids who experienced the Great Depression, because it inculcated values that were very important, among them sacrifice and selfless service. Lee White's memoirs reflect those values as well as his wit. It was a great privilege in his view to serve a President of the United States, and he accepted anonymity in working with the people who made the wheels turn. -- Stewart Udall, Former Secretary of the Interior