The Honorable Warren B. Rudman, Chairman
Senator Rudman became a partner in the international law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison after serving two distinguished terms as a U.S. Senator from New Hampshire. The Senator maintains offices with the law firm both in Washington and New York, and on his own in New Hampshire. He was first elected to the Senate in 1980, and was overwhelmingly reelected in 1986. Born on May 18, 1930, Senator Rudman is a life-long New Hampshire resident. He received a B.S. from Syracuse University in 1952 and served in the U.S. Army as a combat platoon leader and company commander during the Korean War. In 1960 he received his LL.B. from Boston College Law School. Senator Rudman began his career practicing law in his hometown of Nashua. In 1970, he was appointed Attorney General of New Hampshire. He later joined the Manchester, N.H., law firm Sheehan, Phinney, Bass, and Green, where he currently maintains an office part-time.
During his 12 years in the Senate, Senator Rudman established a record of independence by refusing to accept out-of-state political action committee donations. Perhaps his best-known accomplishment came in 1985, when he co-authored the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit reduction law, a historic step that imposed discipline and accountability on the chaotic budget process in order to reduce the federal deficit.
In December 1986, Senator Rudman was appointed to serve as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Select Committee investigating arms transfers to Iran. He also served on the Ethics Committee and presided over numerous investigations, including the Keating Five. Senator Rudman served on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and was active on the Subcommittees on Defense and Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary, where he served as Ranking Republican. While supporting a strong military, he actively opposed expensive weapons that were not cost effective. He also served on the Intelligence Committee, the Governmental Affairs Committee, and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
Senator Rudman's inside account of his career in the Senate is detailed in his book, Combat: Twelve years in the U.S. Senate, published by Random House in 1996.
President Clinton appointed Senator Rudman as a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board in the fall of 1993, where he now serves as Chairman. In addition, he was appointed by the President to serve as Vice Chairman of the Commission on Roles and Capabilities of the U.S. Intelligence Community. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Boston College, Valley Forge Military Academy, the Brookings Institution, and the Aspen Institute. He is also a member of the Senior Advisory Committee of the Institute of Politics and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Warren B. Rudman is founding co-chairman of the Concord Coalition.