Stephen Hess

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Senior Fellow Emeritus, Governance Studies
Portrait: Stephen Hess

A veteran staffer of the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations and an advisor to Presidents Ford and Carter, Stephen Hess focuses on the presidency, the news media, and the political culture of Washington. | View Full Bio

Recent Activity

Refine by: U.S. Politics | Politics and Elections | Media and Journalism | The Presidency

  • Blog Post

    In the Reign of the Grahams: How Shall We Judge Them?

    August 6, 2013 | comments

  • In the News

    If you are going to do something big or important, do it fast. A presidential administration is like an hourglass with the sand running out. There is a blip up with your second inauguration. You know the odds are that you are going to lose seats at the midterm election, and pretty soon you are going to look pretty lame-duckish, as even your supporters start to choose up sides over your successor.

    November 23, 2012, Stephen Hess, National Journal

  • In the News

    Rated on energy, charm, and political smarts, Michelle Obama is the most important and successful first lady in a presidential campaign since 'Lady Bird' Johnson in 1964.

    November 7, 2012, Stephen Hess, The Washington Examiner

  • In the News

    It’s been dreadful — in many ways the worst campaign I’ve ever lived through.

    November 3, 2012, Stephen Hess, The Toronto Star

  • In the News

    [Biden's] supporters will expect him to have made arguments that they felt were missing in the president's presentation, which seemed to try to avoid the attacks on Mitt Romney's record that had been a very important part of their [Obama-Biden] campaign.

    October 10, 2012, Stephen Hess, Voice of America

  • Blog Post

    Andrew Glass & Andrew Alexander: The Future of Journalism

    October 9, 2012 | comments

  • In the News

    Frankly, I'm just baffled...[Obama] doesn’t need to have held another press conference to be prepared or another campaign event to know what his opponent is going to throw at him. I'm searching for some reason why he didn't do better.

    October 5, 2012, Stephen Hess, McClatchy

  • Blog Post

    Bernard Kalb: From NBC to the State Department

    October 2, 2012 | comments

  • Blog Post

    Hedrick Smith: Leaving the New York Times

    September 25, 2012 | comments

  • Blog Post

    Barry Sussman: Stories from Watergate

    September 18, 2012 | comments

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Expert Information

Contact

Email Stephen Hess

202.797.6078

202.797.6090 — Governance Studies Main Line

Resources

Expertise

  • Elections
  • media
  • political campaigns
  • political parties
  • politics
  • the presidency
  • White House organization

Experience

Past Positions

  • Distinguished Research Professor of Media and Public Affairs, The George Washington University (2004-2009)
  • Consultant to President on Executive Office Reorganization (1977)
  • U.S. Representative to the U.N. General Assembly (1976)
  • Editor-in-Chief of Republican Party Platform (1976)
  • Chairman, White House Committee on Children and Youth (1970-71)
  • Presidential Adviser on Urban Affairs (1969)
  • Presidential Speechwriter (1958-61)

Education

  • B.A., Johns Hopkins University, 1953

Get Updates

Stephen Hess

In the News

"If you are going to do something big or important, do it fast. A presidential administration is like an hourglass with the sand running out. There is a blip up with your second inauguration. You know the odds are that you are going to lose seats at the midterm election, and pretty soon you are going to look pretty lame-duckish, as even your supporters start to choose up sides over your successor."

Source: National Journal

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