Anne Wexler
Encyclopedia
Anne L. Wexler was an American
influential Democratic political consultant, public policy advisor and later, the first woman to head a leading lobbying firm in Washington.
, the daughter of Leon R. Levy, a prominent architect who designed the New York Coliseum
. Her first involvement in politics was ringing doorbells for Harry S. Truman as a history major at Skidmore College
.
She married ophthalmologist Richard Wexler two weeks after her 1951 graduation. As a housewife in Westport, Connecticut
, she described herself as having "all the Jewish princess stuff — a lovely home, a full-time maid, lots of vacations" before she started becoming involved in politics.
Democrat Donald J. Irwin
. She organized the Connecticut effort for Eugene McCarthy
's 1968 presidential campaign, and served on the rules committee at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
in Chicago
, where she was the primary author of the committee's minority report, whose recommendations on reforms in choosing delegates were later accepted.
She managed the 1970 United States Senate
campaign in Connecticut for Democrat Joseph Duffey
, a Democrat who came in second to Republican
Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
, with incumbent Thomas J. Dodd
coming in third. Bill
and Hillary Clinton, then students at Yale Law School
, were recruited among the campaign's volunteer workers. (Mrs. Clinton, while running for President in 2008, credited Wexler with providing her first political job.)
After a divorce from her first husband, in September 1974, Wexler married Duffey, who would later head the National Endowment for the Humanities
and the United States Information Agency
.
Working for Common Cause
in 1971, Wexler headed a short-lived voting rights effort before directing the 1972 presidential campaign of Democrat Edmund Muskie
. When Muskie dropped out of the race, she led a voter registration campaign for Democratic nominee
George McGovern
, who was defeated by Richard Nixon in the general election.
Rolling Stone
magazine hired Wexler as an associate publisher in 1973, where her duties managing political reporting included overseeing the notoriously unconventional Gonzo journalist
Hunter S. Thompson
, who would sometimes stay at the Duffey-Wexler residence while in Washington, D.C.
, Wexler worked for the Jimmy Carter
campaign and served on his transition team after Carter's victory over Gerald Ford
. Being responsible for screening candidates for top-level positions, she recommended the little-known Juanita M. Kreps
as the first woman to become
United States Secretary of Commerce
. Wexler herself then became Undersecretary of the Department of Commerce
.
Wexler later moved to the White House, succeeding Midge Costanza
as Special Assistant to President Carter for Public Outreach within the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs
. In that role, she set up meetings with the President with hundreds of business and opinion leaders, working to get their support for Carter's agenda as part of an effort she described as intended to "create lobbyists" by " educating people on the substance of the issues". Assisted by her efforts, Carter was able to secure passage of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties
that would lead to the end of U.S. control over the Panama Canal
, as well as deregulation of the airlines, trucking industry and newly found natural gas
.
Carter's White House Chief of Staff
Hamilton Jordan
described her in 1978 as "the most competent woman in Democratic politics in this country".
Described by The Washington Post
as "the first woman to own a lobbying firm", she later recalled her entry into a field that "was completely male dominated". She ensured that the firm had a bipartisan base, bringing in Ronald Reagan
friend Nancy Clark Reynolds and hired former Republican Congressman (and Newt Gingrich
ally) Robert Smith Walker
of Pennsylvania
after he left office in 1997.
The firm's clients included General Motors
and the Government of Australia
, which honored her as an Officer of the Order of Australia for her meritorious service. Her firm was acquired by Hill & Knowlton
in 1990, within which it operated independently.
Called the "Rolodex
Queen" for the number and scope of her contacts, and lauded by Washingtonian
magazine as "easily the most influential female lobbyist" in the capital, she credited her success to fulfilling the lobbyist's responsibility of guiding legislators through the pros and cons of complex legislation, a process that "government officials are not comfortable making... by themselves."
from cancer. Wexler had battled breast cancer
since being diagnosed in 1981. She was survived by her second husband, Joseph Duffey; two sons from her first marriage, David and Daniel Wexler; stepsons, Michael and David Duffey; and four grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
influential Democratic political consultant, public policy advisor and later, the first woman to head a leading lobbying firm in Washington.
Early life and education
She was born as Anne Levy on February 10, 1930, in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, the daughter of Leon R. Levy, a prominent architect who designed the New York Coliseum
New York Coliseum
The New York Coliseum was a convention center that stood on Columbus Circle in New York City from 1956 to 2000. It was designed by architects Leon and Lionel Levy in a modified international style, and included both a low building with exhibition space and a 26-story office block.-History:The...
. Her first involvement in politics was ringing doorbells for Harry S. Truman as a history major at Skidmore College
Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. The college is located in the town of Saratoga Springs, New York State....
.
She married ophthalmologist Richard Wexler two weeks after her 1951 graduation. As a housewife in Westport, Connecticut
Westport, Connecticut
-Neighborhoods:* Saugatuck – around the Westport railroad station near the southwestern corner of the town – a built-up area with some restaurants, stores and offices....
, she described herself as having "all the Jewish princess stuff — a lovely home, a full-time maid, lots of vacations" before she started becoming involved in politics.
Political career
Her first campaign was in the unsuccessful race by John Fitzgerald against the pro-Vietnam war incumbent DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Democrat Donald J. Irwin
Donald J. Irwin
Donald Jay Irwin is a U.S. Representative from Connecticut.Born of American parents in Argentina, Irwin came to the United States in 1945 to attend Yale University....
. She organized the Connecticut effort for Eugene McCarthy
Eugene McCarthy
Eugene Joseph "Gene" McCarthy was an American politician, poet, and a long-time member of the United States Congress from Minnesota. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971.In the 1968 presidential election, McCarthy was the first...
's 1968 presidential campaign, and served on the rules committee at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention
The 1968 Democratic National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1968. Because Democratic President Lyndon Johnson had announced he would not seek a second term, the purpose of the convention was to...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where she was the primary author of the committee's minority report, whose recommendations on reforms in choosing delegates were later accepted.
She managed the 1970 United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
campaign in Connecticut for Democrat Joseph Duffey
Joseph Duffey
Joseph Daniel Duffey is an American academic, educator and political appointee.He received an A.B. from Marshall University in 1954, a B.D. from Andover Theological School in 1957, an S.T.M. from Yale University in 1963, and a Ph.D. from Hartford Seminary Foundation in 1969...
, a Democrat who came in second to Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
Lowell Palmer Weicker, Jr. is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the 85th Governor of Connecticut, and unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for President in 1980...
, with incumbent Thomas J. Dodd
Thomas J. Dodd
Thomas Joseph Dodd was a United States Senator and Representative from Connecticut, He was the first Senator censured by the US Senate since Joseph McCarthy in 1954, and was one of only six people censured by the Senate in the 20th century. He is the father of former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd...
coming in third. Bill
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Hillary Clinton, then students at Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, were recruited among the campaign's volunteer workers. (Mrs. Clinton, while running for President in 2008, credited Wexler with providing her first political job.)
After a divorce from her first husband, in September 1974, Wexler married Duffey, who would later head the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
and the United States Information Agency
United States Information Agency
The United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...
.
Working for Common Cause
Common Cause
Common Cause is a self-described nonpartisan, nonprofit lobby and advocacy organization. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican former cabinet secretary under Lyndon Johnson, as a "citizens' lobby" with a mission focused on making U.S. political institutions more open and...
in 1971, Wexler headed a short-lived voting rights effort before directing the 1972 presidential campaign of Democrat Edmund Muskie
Edmund Muskie
Edmund Sixtus "Ed" Muskie was an American politician from Rumford, Maine. He served as Governor of Maine from 1955 to 1959, as a member of the United States Senate from 1959 to 1980, and as Secretary of State under Jimmy Carter from 1980 to 1981...
. When Muskie dropped out of the race, she led a voter registration campaign for Democratic nominee
George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
, who was defeated by Richard Nixon in the general election.
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine hired Wexler as an associate publisher in 1973, where her duties managing political reporting included overseeing the notoriously unconventional Gonzo journalist
Gonzo journalism
Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to be first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S. Thompson, who later popularized the style...
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
, who would sometimes stay at the Duffey-Wexler residence while in Washington, D.C.
Carter Administration
During the 1976 Presidential ElectionUnited States presidential election, 1976
The United States presidential election of 1976 followed the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It pitted incumbent President Gerald Ford, the Republican candidate, against the relatively unknown former governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, the Democratic...
, Wexler worked for the Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
campaign and served on his transition team after Carter's victory over Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
. Being responsible for screening candidates for top-level positions, she recommended the little-known Juanita M. Kreps
Juanita M. Kreps
Juanita Morris Kreps was U.S. Secretary of Commerce from January 23, 1977 until October 31, 1979 under President Jimmy Carter and was the first woman to hold that position, and the fourth woman to hold any cabinet position.-Life and career:Kreps was born Clara Juanita Morris in Lynch, Kentucky,...
as the first woman to become
United States Secretary of Commerce
United States Secretary of Commerce
The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce"...
. Wexler herself then became Undersecretary of the Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
.
Wexler later moved to the White House, succeeding Midge Costanza
Midge Costanza
Margaret Costanza , widely known as "Midge", was an American Presidential advisor, social and political activist...
as Special Assistant to President Carter for Public Outreach within the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs
White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs
The Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs is a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States...
. In that role, she set up meetings with the President with hundreds of business and opinion leaders, working to get their support for Carter's agenda as part of an effort she described as intended to "create lobbyists" by " educating people on the substance of the issues". Assisted by her efforts, Carter was able to secure passage of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties
Torrijos-Carter Treaties
The Torrijos–Carter Treaties are two treaties signed by the United States and Panama in Washington, D.C., on September 7, 1977, which abrogated the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty of 1903...
that would lead to the end of U.S. control over the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, as well as deregulation of the airlines, trucking industry and newly found natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
.
Carter's White House Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
Hamilton Jordan
Hamilton Jordan
William Hamilton McWhorter Jordan was Chief of Staff to President of the United States Jimmy Carter.-Early life:...
described her in 1978 as "the most competent woman in Democratic politics in this country".
Lobbying
Immediately after the Carter Administration ended with the election of Ronald Reagan to the Presidency in 1980, Wexler established what would become one of the leading lobbying firms in Washington, Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates,,Described by The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
as "the first woman to own a lobbying firm", she later recalled her entry into a field that "was completely male dominated". She ensured that the firm had a bipartisan base, bringing in Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
friend Nancy Clark Reynolds and hired former Republican Congressman (and Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
ally) Robert Smith Walker
Robert Smith Walker
Robert Smith Walker, popularly known as Bob Walker, is a former American politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from 1977 to 1997. He was known for his fiery rhetoric and knowledge of parliamentary procedure.Born in Bradford,...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
after he left office in 1997.
The firm's clients included General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
and the Government of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, which honored her as an Officer of the Order of Australia for her meritorious service. Her firm was acquired by Hill & Knowlton
Hill & Knowlton
Hill & Knowlton is a global public relations company, headquartered in New York City, United States, with 79 offices in 44 countries. Hill & Knowlton was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1927 by John W. Hill and is today led by Chairman & CEO, Paul Taaffe...
in 1990, within which it operated independently.
Called the "Rolodex
Rolodex
A Rolodex is a rotating file device used to store business contact information currently manufactured by Newell Rubbermaid. The Rolodex holds specially shaped index cards; the user writes the contact information for one person or company on each card...
Queen" for the number and scope of her contacts, and lauded by Washingtonian
Washingtonian (magazine)
Washingtonian is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, DC area since 1965. The magazine describes itself as "the magazine Washington lives by." The magazine's core focuses are local feature journalism, guide book-style articles, and real estate advice.-Editorial Content:Washingtonian...
magazine as "easily the most influential female lobbyist" in the capital, she credited her success to fulfilling the lobbyist's responsibility of guiding legislators through the pros and cons of complex legislation, a process that "government officials are not comfortable making... by themselves."
Death
She died at age 79 on August 7, 2009, in her home in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
from cancer. Wexler had battled breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
since being diagnosed in 1981. She was survived by her second husband, Joseph Duffey; two sons from her first marriage, David and Daniel Wexler; stepsons, Michael and David Duffey; and four grandchildren.