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Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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Article Genealogy
Parent: United States Ambassador to the United Nations Hop 3
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Daniel Patrick Moynihan
NameDaniel Patrick Moynihan
CaptionMoynihan in 1994
OfficeUnited States Senator from New York
Term startJanuary 3, 1977
Term endJanuary 3, 2001
PredecessorJames L. Buckley
SuccessorHillary Clinton
Office1United States Ambassador to the United Nations
President1Gerald Ford
Term start1June 30, 1975
Term end1February 2, 1976
Predecessor1John A. Scali
Successor1William Scranton
Office2United States Ambassador to India
President2Richard Nixon
Term start2February 24, 1973
Term end2December 3, 1975
Predecessor2Kenneth Keating
Successor2William B. Saxbe
Office3Counselor to the President
President3Richard Nixon
Term start3January 20, 1969
Term end3December 31, 1970
Predecessor3Arthur F. Burns
Successor3Robert H. Finch
PartyDemocratic
OtherpartyRepublican (before 1976)
Birth dateMarch 16, 1927
Birth placeTulsa, Oklahoma
Death dateMarch 26, 2003
Death placeWashington, D.C.
Alma materCity College of New York, Tufts University (BA, MA), Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (MA, PhD)
SpouseElizabeth Brennan

Daniel Patrick Moynihan was an American politician, diplomat, and sociologist who served as a United States Senator from New York for four terms from 1977 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he was known for his intellectual approach to policy, his influential writings on social issues, and his service in key diplomatic posts under presidents of both parties. His career uniquely spanned academia, high-level executive branch appointments, and legislative leadership, making him one of the most prominent public intellectuals in modern American politics.

Early life and education

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, his family moved to New York City where he grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Manhattan. After working as a shoeshine boy near the Port Authority Bus Terminal, he attended City College of New York before enlisting in the United States Navy during World War II. Following his service, he earned degrees from Tufts University and a PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where his dissertation focused on the International Labour Organization.

Academic and early political career

He began his career as a professor at Syracuse University and later joined the faculty at Harvard University. His early government service included working on the staff of New York Governor W. Averell Harriman and serving as an assistant to United States Secretary of Labor Arthur Goldberg under President John F. Kennedy. He gained national prominence as Assistant Secretary of Labor under President Lyndon B. Johnson, where he authored the controversial 1965 report "The Negro Family: The Case For National Action".

U.S. Senate career

After serving as United States Ambassador to India and United States Ambassador to the United Nations, he was elected to the United States Senate in 1976, defeating incumbent James L. Buckley. In the Senate Finance Committee, he was a key architect of the 1983 Social Security rescue plan and a fierce defender of the program. He championed legislation like the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act and was a leading critic of the Central Intelligence Agency's budget secrecy and the Strategic Defense Initiative.

Political views and policy positions

Ideologically complex, he was a Cold War liberal and staunch anti-communist who supported welfare reform but emphasized the importance of social structure. He famously coined the phrase "defining deviancy down" in a 1993 essay. He opposed President Bill Clinton's health care plan as overly bureaucratic but supported the North American Free Trade Agreement. On foreign policy, he was a sharp critic of the United Nations and supported the Reagan Doctrine while opposing U.S. intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Later life and death

After choosing not to seek a fifth term in 2000, he retired from the United States Senate and was succeeded by Hillary Clinton. He returned to academia as a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.. He died on March 26, 2003, from complications following an emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Legacy and honors

His legacy is marked by the Moynihan Station project in New York City, the renaming of the D.C. Circuit courthouse as the Prettyman-Moynihan Courthouse, and the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize in Social Science. The Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs at Syracuse University and the Moynihan Center at City College of New York also bear his name, honoring his lifelong commitment to scholarly public policy.

Category:American political scientists Category:United States Senators from New York Category:Ambassadors of the United States to India