MONMOUTH, ILLINOIS (March 28, 2023) — Former US Representative Richard A Gephardt will deliver this year's Monmouth College Commencement address.
Monmouth's 166th Commencement exercise will be at noon on Sunday, May 14, on the College's Wallace Hall Plaza. The rain site will be the Huff Athletic Center field house.
Gephardt, who served for 28 years in the House of Representatives, is president and CEO of Gephardt Group. He will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from the College.
"Monmouth College is honored to have former Congressman Richard Gephardt as our 2023 Commencement speaker," said Monmouth President Clarence R Wyatt. "Throughout his career, Congressman Gephardt exemplified a focus on finding practical means to seize opportunities to make our nation stronger, guided by a spirit of cooperation and civility. We look forward to his message on this important day."
Monmouth's 2023 Commencement weekend will be held May 13-14, which will also include a baccalaureate service, honor walk and senior send-off.
Gephardt's public service career started in 1968 as a precinct captain to St Louis' 14th Ward. From 1971-76, he served as Alderman for the city's 14th Ward, before being elected to Congress in 1976, representing Missouri's 3rd Congressional District.
A St Louis native, his distinguished 28-year career in Congress was marked by his work on health-care, pensions, education, energy independence, and trade.
Gephardt served as House Democratic Leader for more than fourteen years, as House Majority Leader from 1989-95 and Minority Leader from 1995-2003. He twice ran for president, in 1988 and 2004.
In 2005, Gephardt retired from Congress to found Gephardt Group, a privately-held labor-relations consulting and government-affairs firm.
Gephardt holds a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University and a Juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School. He and his wife, Jane, have three children.
Founded in 1853 and affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), Monmouth College provides a transformative educational experience within a caring community of learners. A residential liberal-arts college that is the birthplace of the women's fraternity movement, Monmouth College empowers students to realize their full potential, live meaningful lives, pursue successful careers, and shape their communities and the world through service and leadership.
