Herbert London

Herbert I. London (born 1939) is an American conservative activist, commentator, author, and academic. London was the president of the Hudson Institute from 1997 to 2011. He is a frequent columnist for The Washington Times. London is president of the London Center for Policy Research, a conservative think tank hosted at The King's College in New York City,[1] and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[2]

Personal life and education

London was born in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York on March 6, 1939. At 6'5", he was a star basketball player, leading Jamaica High School to a city championship.[3] London recorded several pop songs, achieving a modest hit record in 1959 with "Sorry We're Not Going Steady."[4] One of his three daughters is Stacy London, former host of the TV show What Not to Wear and current host of Love, Lust, or Run.

London attended Columbia University and studied under Jacques Barzun.[5] He graduated from Columbia in 1960 and obtained a Ph.D. in history at New York University in 1966.[6]

Professional life

London started working at New York University after getting his doctorate there.[3] He was responsible for creating NYU's "University Without Walls" in 1972. UWW was part of a new trend in American higher education to provide inter-disciplinary and out-of-the-classroom learning.[7] UWW changed its name to the Gallatin Division in 1976.[8] Gallatin students design their own curricula and do not have any required courses.[9] Gallatin later added a focus on the study of great books.[10] London directed the program from its inception until 1992.[6] After retiring as a dean, London became the John M. Olin Professor of Humanities at NYU.[10] The Gallatin Division was renamed the Gallatin School of Individualized Study in 1995.

President of Hudson Institute from 1997 until 2011, London is currently President Emeritus.[11] He is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for the American University at the Manhattan Institute[12] and Chairman of the National Association of Scholars.[6] In February 2013, London joined the Board of Advisors of the Coalition to Reduce Spending.[13]

Political campaigns

London enrolled as a Republican in New York in 1978.[4] He is considered a conservative maverick, at various times joining and at other times criticizing the New York State Republican Party.[10][14][15][16]

1989 Mayoral Race

In 1989, London entered the race for both the Conservative Party and Republican Party nominations for Mayor of New York City. Ronald Lauder was endorsed by the Conservatives and London dropped out of the Republican primary.[17][18]

1990 Gubernatorial Race

London was the Conservative Party nominee for Governor of New York in 1990.[19] The party broke from recent practice and declined to cross-endorse the Republican nominee, the Canada-born businessman Pierre Rinfret. Conservatives leaders cited Rinfret's more centrist positions on abortion and tax and spending policies.[20] London finished one percentage point behind Rinfret, 827,614 votes to 865,948. Democratic Governor Mario Cuomo was re-elected to a third term.[10]

1994 Comptroller's Race

Soon after the 1990 election, London began campaigning for the Republican nomination in the 1994 Governor's race, which turned out to have no clear front-runner.[3] The main reason was that U.S. Senator Al D'Amato kept hinting he would run for the nomination and if he did, he would be the presumptive favorite. London became the first formally announced candidate to take on incumbent Mario Cuomo, declaring for both the Republican and Conservative parties' nomination in October 1993.[10]

Republican and Conservative leaders were resolved to support the same candidate to avoid splitting the conservative vote as in 1990. D'Amato preferred State Senator George Pataki, but State Senate majority leader Ralph J. Marino held a grudge against Pataki, London and others who tried to oust Marino in the 1992 primary.[3] However, Marino supported London through the Republican Party convention, where London couldn't gain enough supporters to automatically be placed on the G.O.P. primary ballot.[21]

During that convention, Republican leaders convinced London to drop out of the Governor's race in favor of accepting the party's nomination for state Comptroller.[22] Prior to London being offered the Comptroller's nomination, Assemblyman John Faso was considered the frontrunner for the nomination.[23] London went on to face interim Democratic Comptroller Carl McCall.

The race was notable in part for the controversy created when the candidate's identities, Jewish for London and black for McCall, became a focal point of the campaign.[24] Then, in the week before the election, a statement was issued by 50 leading members of the Democratic Party in New York, condemning London for launching racist attacks against McCall.[25][26] Two Manhattan Republicans withdrew their support for London, while Mayor Rudy Giuliani stuck with his endorsement of London.[27]

McCall defeated London in the election, 52% to 46%, becoming the first black candidate elected to statewide office in New York.[28] McCall had out-raised London $3.6 million to $543,000. London's criticism of Pataki and his attack ads against McCall were seen as negatively affecting his performance in the race.[29]

Books

Articles

References

  1. ↑ Wilkinson, Alissa (March 2, 2015). "King's Welcomes The London Center for Policy Research". The King's College. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Membership Roster - Letter L". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Dao, James (January 31, 1994). "Candidate Seeks New Armor For Crusade Against Cuomo". New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Roberts, Sam (September 19, 1994). "Ideology Contrast Adds Some Flavor to Comptroller Race". New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  5. ↑ Barzun, Jacques (1993) [First published 1968]. The American University (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.
  6. 1 2 3 "NAS Staff & Boards". National Association of Scholars. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Higher Education: Without Walls Gets Mixed Reactions". Chicago Tribune. October 22, 1972. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Facts and Figures". Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  9. ↑ Berry, Erica; McGarry, Marisa (February 7, 2014). "NAS protests Bowdoin's 'global citizenship' at Brunswick conference". Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Sack, Kevin (October 5, 1993). "Conservative Is Joining G.O.P. Race for Governor". New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Kenneth R. Weinstein Elected Hudson Institute President and CEO by Board of Trustees". Hudson Institute. April 4, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Center for the American University". Manhattan Institute. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Board of Advisors". Coalition to Reduce Spending. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  14. ↑ Fisher, Ian (September 23, 1994). "London Hit By Criticism For Attacks On Pataki". New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Governor Is Criticized By a Fellow Republican". New York Times. May 6, 1997. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  16. ↑ Healy, Patrick (March 31, 2006). "Republicans Go on Attack, but the Target Is Pataki". New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  17. ↑ Lynn, Frank (April 19, 1989). "Conservatives Choose Lauder In Mayor Race". New York Times. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  18. ↑ "N.Y.U. Dean Drops Out of Mayoral Primary". New York Times. June 24, 1989. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  19. ↑ Lynn, Frank (July 11, 1990). "Rinfret and London Slug It Out as Cuomo Steps Deftly Aside". New York Times. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  20. ↑ Lynn, Frank (May 29, 1990). "Conservatives Balk as G.O.P. Prepares to Back Rinfret". New York Times. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  21. ↑ Sack, Kevin (May 24, 1994). "G.O.P. Backs a Legislator to Oppose Cuomo". New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  22. ↑ Roberts, Sam (May 26, 1994). "Republicans and Conservatives Solidify Efforts Against Cuomo". New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  23. ↑ Healy, Patrick (October 18, 2006). "An Ill-Timed Candidate Believes His Time Is Now". New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  24. ↑ Fisher, Ian (October 25, 1994). "McCall Accuses London of Roiling Racial Tensions in Campaign". New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  25. ↑ Fisher, Ian (November 1, 1994). "Republican Comptroller Candidate Denounced as Racist". New York Times. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  26. ↑ Herbert, Bob (November 2, 1994). "In America; Mugging Carl McCall". New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  27. ↑ Myers, Steven Lee (November 5, 1994). "Republican Candidate Loses Officials' Support". New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  28. ↑ Fisher, Ian (November 9, 1994). "McCall Becomes First Black Elected to Statewide Office". New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  29. ↑ Fisher, Ian (November 10, 1994). "How Democrat McCall Navigated a G.O.P. Flood". New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2015.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by
Andrew O'Rourke		 Conservative Nominee for Governor of New York
1990 		Succeeded by
George Pataki
Preceded by
Edward Regan		 Republican and Conservative Nominee for New York State Comptroller
1994 		Succeeded by
Bruce Blakeman
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