Committed to public service, political engagement and civil rights, Gergen was instrumental in moving Elon University forward and establishing the School of Law.
David Gergen, a renowned political analyst who served four United States presidents, and an unwavering supporter of Elon University and the School of Law, where he served as the inaugural advisory board chair until last year, died July 11. He was 83.
A North Carolina native, Gergen was a principled leader, political commentator and advocate for democracy whose influence spanned seven decades.
To Elon, he brought insightful commentary at public engagements as a frequent keynote speaker and delivering the Commencement address to the Class of 2016. Behind the scenes, he offered guidance and counsel to university leaders charged with carrying out the university’s mission and vision.
“David Gergen served as a steadfast leader with a lifetime of distinguished service rooted in North Carolina,” said Elon University President Connie Ledoux Book. “At Elon University, he was a mentor, teacher, and thought partner for over 25 years. From chairing the Elon Law Advisory Board to delivering Commencement addresses that challenged graduates to serve the common good, David modeled public service.
“We are a better university and country because of the light he brought to the world.”
Born in Durham, North Carolina, Gergen earned his undergraduate degree in American Studies at Yale University in 1963 and a Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1967. He also served in the U.S. Navy for three-and-a-half years.
While interning in Gov. Terry Sanford’s office, he became involved in civil rights efforts, a cause he remained dedicated to throughout his life. His national political career began in 1971 as a speechwriter for President Richard Nixon, later serving as director of communications for Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, and as a counselor to President Bill Clinton.
His journalism career included roles as editor and editor-at-large for U.S. News & World Report, and political analyst for CNN and ABC. He also contributed to NPR, CBS, The New York Times, and Newsweek.
“Our country has lost a truly great American,” said President Emeritus Leo Lambert. “David was such a thoughtful and fair and deeply kind person, and those individuals are rare in politics today. He, to me, has always been the model of the kind of person that belongs in public life. He worked to get things done for the betterment of the nation, always valuing our country’s ideals and constitution. It’s very sad, at this moment, to see how very far we have strayed from a standard David Gergen set for civility, leadership, and character.”
During Lambert’s presidency, Gergen became a regular fixture at Elon, first headlining a Winter Term Symposium in 2001 around the future of presidential politics, then in 2003 interviewing legendary journalist Walter Cronkite before an audience of 2,900 at the Convocation for Honors. In 2004, he became the inaugural Isabella Cannon Visiting Professor for Leadership.
That same year, Lambert approached Gergen with an early vision for Elon Law.
“David’s help in launching the law school was irreplaceable.,” Lambert reflected. “I remember early conversations with him around the dining room table at Maynard House when the law school was just an idea. As he put it, the nation didn’t need just another law school, it needed ‘a law school with a difference,’ one law seeking to innovate new approaches to legal education.”
Gergen’s far-reaching reputation, along with an advisory board that included two former governors, three former chief justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court, and other legal luminaries added “a sense of legitimacy” to the Elon Law vision, Lambert said. “Elon University was able to leverage that legitimacy to quickly recruit exceptional students who now serve as lawyer leaders in their own communities, a testament to the vision David helped craft for Elon Law.
“And in true David fashion, with the heart of a public servant, he mentored our law students with wisdom and lessons that will carry through the ages, sometimes drawn from his own personal experiences of adversity and resilience. Elon University owes him a great deal.”
In 2009, delivering the Commencement address to the school’s charter class, Gergen eloquently described his vision for the law school and why he felt compelled to support it. “As one who has been involved in trying to work with the next generation, to prepare a fresh generation of leaders for this country, public leaders, which I think we so much need, that vision had enormous appeal to me,” said Gergen, who was conferred with an honorary doctorate from Elon University at the same ceremony.
Gergen remained instrumental in guiding Elon Law through its first 20 years, building support for its mission of legal leadership and public service, and establishing it as the preeminent law school for experiential learning and practical skills. Chairing the Advisory Board, Gergen led efforts to establish Elon Law’s differentiators as the first law school in the nation to offer a 2.5-year J.D. and to guarantee that all Elon Law students benefit from in a full-time residency-in-practice during their second year of study. Gergen engaged with students in his work with the law school, reminding them of values they should uphold.
Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer marveled at Gergen’s immeasurable influence on the school, its alumni and current students: “We wouldn’t be Elon Law without David Gergen.
“From the beginning of our law school, David has been a constant source of wisdom and support,” Kramer said. “A model citizen, David lived a life devoted to family, service, leadership and, above all, decency. Our charge at Elon Law is to produce lawyers who will follow David’s lead to make a difference in our world.”
Gergen remained active and dedicated to Elon University until his death. In 2023, he attended the opening of Elon’s Charlotte campus and launch of the Elon Law Flex Program.
In September 2024, Elon established the David R. Gergen Distinguished Professorship in Public Service, to preserve Gergen’s legacy for generations of future Elon University students and faculty through funding to support work with students who share a passion for public service.
In March 2024, at his last public campus appearance, he and his son, Christopher Gergen, led a conversation around political polarization and the leadership needed to move America forward.
“We need people to hear the call to service,” he said. “We need more heroes. It’s important to have heroes.”
A look back at David Gergen’s influence and service to Elon and the community:
Gergen’s first speaking engagement at Elon was in 2001, headlining a Winter Term symposium, “Inaugurating the Millennium: The First 100 Days of the 21st Century Presidency,” held nine days before the inauguration of President George W. Bush.
In April 2003, Gergen interviewed legendary broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite before an audience of 2,900 in Koury Center at Elon’s Convocation for Honors. In 2004, Gergen was Elon’s inaugural Isabella Cannon Visiting Professor of Leadership, delivering three public lectures on campus and meeting with classes.
In 2005, he accepted the invitation to chair Elon Law’s Advisory Board and remained in the role until September 2024. He helped shape the founding faculty and establish the law school’s mission to develop lawyer-leaders who use their skills to improve their communities. He cultivated a lasting partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro. “Leadership will set Elon apart from other law schools,” he said. Through his leadership and connections, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor delivered the law school’s inaugural address in a ceremony dedicating the law school.
Gergen delivered the first Joseph M. Bryan Distinguished Leadership Lecture in September 2007, held at Elon Law. “The leader’s role is to become a leader of leaders, to make sure they’re leading,” Gergen said. “Your role is to bring the best out of them. More and more people are beginning to understand that leadership is not a top-down kind of ‘do this, do this, do this.’ Leadership today is much more about drawing the best out of people who are in your group.”
In 2009, he delivered the Commencement address to Elon Law’s inaugural class. “All of you now have shown us your wisdom, your courage, your service to others and your dedication to leadership. You have those qualities deep within you. You have proven that to all of us. What we ask of you now is to remember who you are and remember to give back,” Gergen said.
Participating in a panel discussion for the 2011 Convocation for Honors moderated by NBC’s Brian Williams, Gergen called on Elon students to be inspired by global movements for freedom and democracy. “You can be the leaders of today … Remember, it takes a long time to get hard work done,” Gergen said. “You’ve got to commit yourself … to make this the work of a lifetime.”
Gergen reunited with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor at Elon Law in 2012 to deliver keynote addresses at the Conference on Law and Leadership, co-hosted by Elon Law and the Center for Creative Leadership. “We have to believe that the leaders of this country put the country first,” Gergen said. “In so many ways, the people I looked up to were lawyers. For so many of my generation, the majesty of the law is what we believed in.”
Gergen delivered the Commencement address for the Class of 2016, calling on graduates to combat political extremism. “May I plead with you: Please don’t stay on the sidelines as America struggles to find the best path forward. Come off the bench and get into the arena. … Find common ground, work hard to respect the views of others. You will get knocked down and there will be severe disappointments. Embrace the fact that change is hard. But know this: if you pour your heart and soul into rebuilding a better state and nation, you will look back one day and find an inner satisfaction, a pride that you answered the call to service and leadership.”
In September 2024, Elon University President Connie Book and Elon University President Emeritus Leo Lambert hosted a celebration for Gergen, surrounded by his family, and announced the David R. Gergen Distinguished Professorship in Public Service. The professorship will preserve Gergen’s legacy for generations of future Elon University students and faculty through funding to support work with students who share a passion for public service.