Post date: June 3, 2002 — 5:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, June 5, White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales will deliver Harvard Law School’s 2002 Class Day address. The speech will begin at 2:30 p.m. on the steps of Langdell Hall on the Law School campus. For the first time in the Law School’s history, the speech will be webcast live for those unable to attend the event.
“As the White House general counsel and an advisor to the president, Judge Gonzales is one of the most influential lawyers in the country,” said T. J. Duane, head class marshal. “He is an excellent choice for speaker at the Harvard Law School graduation ceremonies.”
Gonzales has served as counsel to the president since January 2001. In this role, he is responsible for providing legal advice directly to President Bush. Prior to his White House service, Gonzales served on the Texas Supreme Court and as Texas Secretary of State.
A 1982 graduate of Harvard Law School, Gonzales received his undergraduate degree from Rice University and studied at the United States Air Force Academy between 1975 and 1977. In addition to his Class Day speech to the graduating class, Gonzales will be presented with the Harvard Law School Association Award at a separate ceremony.
Gonzales has received the Presidential Citation from the State Bar of Texas in 1997, was chosen as one of the Five Outstanding Young Texans by the Texas Jaycees in 1994, and has been honored as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas by the Texas Young Lawyers Association in 1992. Additionally, Gonzales has twice been selected as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the nation by Hispanic Business.
The Harvard Law School Class Day is held annually on the day before the University ‘s commencement. Recent Class Day speakers have included former Attorney General Janet Reno, NBC ‘s Tim Russert, and former presidential advisor David Gergen.