David Richmond Gergen (1942–2025) is an American political commentator, author, and former presidential adviser who served under four U.S. presidents—Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. His career focused on public leadership and political analysis.
Born in Durham, North Carolina, Gergen earned a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He began as a speechwriter in the Nixon administration (1971–74) before serving as White House Communications Director under Ford and Reagan. In 1993, he became Counselor to President Bill Clinton, advising on domestic and foreign policy.
Beyond government, Gergen was a senior political analyst for CNN, editor-at-large for U.S. News & World Report, and a professor at Harvard Kennedy School, where he founded the Center for Public Leadership.
His books include Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton (2001,) exploring presidential leadership, and Hearts Touched with Fire: How Great Leaders Are Made (2022,) examining leadership development.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by David Gergen
A leader’s role is to raise people’s aspirations for what they can become and to release their energies so they will try to get there.
—David Gergen
Topics: Leadership, People, Vision
Leave a Reply