Washminster

Washminster
Washminster

Sunday 8 November 2009

John Brademas Center for the Study of Congress

Another academic centre named for a leading congressman, the John Brademas Center for the Study of Congress , provides access to important research work on Congress. It is based at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

John Brademas served in Congress from 1959-1981. He was House Majority Whip in the period 1977-81. As well as being a congressman, he had a passion for education and played a key role in the development of many educational bodies within the USA. He co-sponsored the legislation establishing the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Brademas was the first Greek-American member of Congress.

The Center, of which John Brademas is President Emeritus, has been involved in a two-year “Congress and the Future Project" which resulted in a bipartisan 'White Paper' which is available here entitled "Looking to the Future: The Challenge to Congress".

The website also contains transcripts of interviews with a number of retiring members of Congress. The purpose of the Center's Reflection Project is "to establish a public record of the first-person accounts, opinions, anecdotes and reflections of Members who retire from office each term". These transcripts can be accessed here.