National hero and legendary New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani will give the keynote address at this year’s Founders Day celebration Nov. 5 at America’s Center.
In addition to the talk, the event will include the presentation of Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Faculty awards, as well as the Robert S. Brookings Awards.
Sept. 11, 2001, was the day Giuliani expected to begin his decline in stature. It was primary-election day — the day New Yorkers would choose his successor.
What actually happened was the reverse.
When the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center fell, Giuliani became the Winston Churchill of his day, brilliantly leading New York — and in some senses, the country — through one of the most devastating times in our history. For his leadership, courage and inspiration, Giuliani was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year.
The grandson of Italian immigrants, Giuliani earned a bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College.
After earning a law degree from New York University, his first job was clerking for Judge Lloyd MacMahon in the Southern District of New York. But he soon joined the U.S. attorney’s office, where he rose through the ranks and finally served as associate attorney general.
In 1983, he became U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
A decade later, Giuliani was elected the 107th mayor of the city of New York, carrying four of the five boroughs. He served two terms.
During his tenure, overall crime fell dramatically and its law enforcement strategies became models for other large cities.
His tax reforms and fiscal discipline turned a large budget deficit into a multi-billion dollar surplus, and tourism flourished.
In 2002, Giuliani founded Giuliani Partners, a leader in the fields of emergency preparedness, public safety, crisis management and corporate governance. His book, Leadership, was published in 2002 and remained for 25 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list.
Founders Day, sponsored by the University’s Alumni Board of Governors, commemorates the University’s founding in 1853.
For more information, go online to foundersday.wustl.edu.