Landon Lecture Series

The namesake of the series, Alf Landon, on the cover of Time magazine, May 18, 1936

The Alfred M. Landon Lecture Series is a series of speeches on current public affairs, which is organized and hosted by Kansas State University, in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It is named after Kansas politician Alf Landon, former Governor of Kansas and Republican presidential candidate.[1] The first lecture in the series was given by Landon on December 13, 1966.[2]

The lecture series has been described as "prestigious,"[3][4][5][6] and Eric Lichtblau noted in his 2008 book Bush's Law: The Remaking of American Justice that the "Landon Lecture Series has provided an unlikely but powerful platform allowing world leaders, from Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev to Jimmy Carter and Henry Kissinger, to expound on the critical public issues of the day."[7]

Among the speakers who have delivered Landon Lectures are ten Nobel laureates, eight Pulitzer Prize-winners, and more than 40 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients.

Every U.S. President from the founding of the series in 1966 to 2008 delivered a Landon lecture, excepting only Lyndon B. Johnson.[2] George W. Bush (2006), Ronald Reagan (1982) and Richard Nixon (1970) delivered speeches during their tenure in office. Bill Clinton (2007), Jimmy Carter (1991) and Gerald Ford (1978) spoke after leaving office. George H. W. Bush delivered a Landon Lecture while serving as vice president of the United States in 1985, before being elected to the presidency. Before Reagan delivered his Landon Lecture as U.S. president in 1982, he previously spoke in the series in 1967, while governor of California.

Other sitting U.S. federal officials to speak in the series include: Vice President Walter Mondale; Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield; Minority Leaders Hugh Scott, Howard Baker and Tom Daschle; House Speakers Tip O'Neill and Jim Wright; Supreme Court justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Sonia Sotomayor; and Attorney General Janet Reno.[2] In addition, nine current or former foreign heads of state have also spoken in the series, including former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, former Malawian President Joyce Banda, and former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo.[2]

  1. ^ "History of The: Landon Lectures". Kansas State University. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Landon Lecture Series – Past Speakers". Kansas State University. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  3. ^ Thomas, Ricks (June 6, 2013). "Why South Korea and others should take a page from Israel in how to handle the U.S." Foreign Policy. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  4. ^ Matt, Moline (May 4, 2004). "Roberts discusses policy, goals". Topeka Capital Journal. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  5. ^ Jim, Garamone (October 2, 2012). "Dempsey: Americans will shape image of modern vet". American Forces Press Service. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  6. ^ Jan, Landon (December 10, 2006). "Kansas was Bobby's first campaign stop". Topeka Capital Journal. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  7. ^ Lichtblau, Eric (2008). Bush's Law: The Remaking of American Justice. Pantheon. ISBN 9780307377739.