Gergen, David: Files, 1981-1984

Office of Communications

***The content of this page is under review and needs further editing. Please feel free to Contact an Archivist with any questions regarding the content listed on this page.***

Folders noted as “Open” may still contain closed material due to Freedom of Information Act restrictions. Most frequent withdrawn material is national security classified material, personal privacy, protection of the President, etc. Folders noted as closed are subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests under the provisions of the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

If you are interested in submitting a FOIA request for access to any of the unavailable records or have any questions about these collections or series, please contact our archival staff.

Filter by Keyword

Filter by Series

Filter by Status

Open

Closed

Digitized

Reset Filters

This content is longer than usual, please wait until it fully loads.

Scope and Content Note

This collection is arranged into 11 series: SERIES I: Gergen/Bistany Subject File; SERIES II: Subject File; SERIES III: Daily Files; SERIES IV: Chron File; SERIES V: Dave Gergen Notes – 1981; SERIES VI: Phone Logs; SERIES VII: Correspondence; SERIES VIII: Press Conferences; SERIES IX: Weekly Updates; SERIES X: Press Logs; and SERIES XI: Publications.

Series List

SERIES I: GERGEN/BISTANY SUBJECT FILE

SERIES II: SUBJECT FILE. 1981-1983

SERIES III: DAILY FILES

SERIES IV: CHRONOLOGICAL FILE - 1981

SERIES V: DAVE GERGEN’S NOTES - 1981

SERIES VI: PHONE LOGS - 1981

SERIES VII: CORRESPONDENCE. 1981-1983

SERIES VIII: Press Conferences

SERIES IX: Weekly Updates

SERIES X: Press Logs

SERIES XI: Publications

Biography

Political consultant David R. Gergen served on the Reagan White House staff from January 1981 to January 1984.

David Gergen was born in Durham, North Carolina on May 9, 1942. He is the youngest of four children of Aubigne Munger and Dr. John Jay Gergen. Gergen earned his bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1963 and was a member of the Manuscript Society. In 1967, he received his law degree from Harvard Law School.

Gergen’s initial White House experience came in the Nixon Administration, where he served as a staff assistant (1971-73) on the speech writing team along with Pat Buchanan, Ben Stein and William Safire. In 1973 he became Director of Speechwriting and Research until 1974. He then moved on to the Treasury Department.

Gergen returned to the White House in 1975, becoming the Director of the White House Communications office under President Ford.

In February 1981, Gergen again returned to the White House working within the Chief of Staff’s office with the specific task of overseeing the Office of Communications and the Office of Speechwriting. When communications operations were reorganized in June 1981, Gergen took the title of Assistant to the President for Communications. By the end of 1981, his Office of Communications was an umbrella White House office that oversaw the Offices of Speechwriting, Media Relations, Public Affairs, News Summary, and the Press Secretary, along with the Photo Office.

Gergen left the White House in early 1984 to pursue a career in journalism, both print and television. Gergen’s career in television began in 1985, when he joined the MacNeil Lehrer NewsHour for Friday night discussions of politics. During that period, he was a regular commentator for five years on the NewsHour, providing a conservative viewpoint counter to Mark Shields. His print journalism career as an editor occurred simultaneously. He was the first managing editor of Public Opinion, a magazine affiliated with the American Enterprise Institute, and from 1985–1986, he worked as an editor at U.S. News & World Report.

Gergen also served as a counselor on domestic and foreign affairs for President Bill Clinton and his secretary of state, Warren Christopher.

Following his service in the Clinton administration, Gergen resumed his relationship with U.S. News, and currently serves as editor-at-large. In 2000, he published a New York Times bestseller book, Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton. In addition, he has also appeared on MSNBC Hardball with Chris Matthews, CBS and The Colbert Report. CurrentlyGergen is a Senior Political Analyst for CNN and frequently appears on Anderson Cooper 360 and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. Gergen has also been a guest on NPR.

Gergen has been actively involved in higher education. As of 2006, Gergen has been a professor of public service at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and director of its Center for Public Leadership. A Durham native, Gergen has also taught at Duke University from 1995 to 1999. He is now a trustee. Gergen served as Elon University's inaugural Isabella Cannon Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership and as the Chair of the Elon University School of Law Advisory Board. Gergen is active on many non-profit boards and is Chairman of the National Selection Committee for the Ford Foundation’s program on Innovations in American Government. He is an active as a speaker on leadership and sits on many boards, including Teach for America and the Aspen Institute. He is a member of the Washington D.C. Bar and the Council on Foreign Relations, and holds 21 honorary degrees. He is a past member of the Bohemian Grove and the Trilateral Commission.

He is currently Director of the Center for Public Leadership and a professor of public service at Harvard Kennedy School.

Gergen is married and he and his wife have two children and four grandchildren. They reside in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Record Type

Textual

Last Modified Date

2025-01-30

WHORM Alpha File

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed non ipsum risus. Maecenas suscipit interdum varius. Nulla facilisi. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Donec suscipit nunc id nunc efficitur dictum. Proin dignissim fringilla nisl in consectetur. Donec sed enim odio. Nam at orci quis magna pulvinar mollis in id orci. Suspendisse lobortis libero augue, quis convallis quam luctus ut. Fusce ac faucibus metus, sit amet iaculis odio. Mauris vel orci eu nibh gravida volutpat sed ut urna. Integer volutpat vitae felis vitae dignissim. Integer tempor consequat purus, non vestibulum tortor. Proin semper ligula vitae lacus finibus, sit amet viverra nulla placerat. Nullam commodo a dui eu interdum. Proin fringilla semper venenatis.

WHORM Subject File

Federal Papers

Donated Papers

Audiovisual

Download

Copyright

Some of the archival materials in this collection may be subject to copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.

Contact an Archivist

Have a research question? Contact an archivist about this collection or about research at the Reagan Library.

Archival Resources

Here are quick links to the most used resources at the Reagan Library.

White House Staff & Office Files

White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) Subject Files

WHORM Alphabetical Files

Topic Guides

Citation Guide

Search Audio/Visual Material

MUSEUM OPEN UNTIL 5:00 PM MON-SUN

Gergen, David: Files, 1981-1984

Box List

WHORM Alpha File

WHORM Subject File

Federal Papers

Donated Papers

Audiovisual

General Admission	$29.95
Senior Admission (62+)	$26.95
Youth Admission (11-17)	$22.95
Child Admission (3-10)	$19.95
Children 2 & Under	Free
Audio Tour Rental	$7.00**
Active Military (with Valid ID)	Free*
Foundation Member	$13.95
College Student (with Valid ID)	$26.95