The papers and memorabilia compiled by Powell A. Moore during a Washington career of more than 43 years have a home at UGA’s Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies.
“This is an exciting collection for us in that it covers post World War II world affairs and intersects with so many of our other collections,” said Sheryl Vogt, director of the Russell Library. “Certainly, Mr. Moore’s service with Sen. Russell is significant to the library, but his career work with several presidents, including national campaigns, and, in particular, his unique experience in legislative oversight of defense and diplomacy matters will be of tremendous research value.”
A 1959 graduate of UGA, Moore was press secretary for Russell from October 1966 until the senator’s death in January 1971. Following his service with Russell, Moore remained active in national and international governmental and political affairs. Most recently, he was the representative of the U.S. Secretary of Defense to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, based in Vienna, Austria.
In the first term of the George W. Bush Administration (2001-2005), Moore was the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs and received the Defense Department’s Medal for Distinguished Public Service for his leadership in this position. He held the comparable position at the Department of State in the first term of President Ronald Reagan (1982-1983), giving him the unique experience of having been both an assistant secretary of defense and an assistant secretary of state. Moore was on the White House legislative affairs staff under Presidents Nixon and Ford in 1973 and 1974 and under Reagan in 1981.
In the first year of the Reagan administration, before transferring to the State Department, he managed the Senate component of the White House’s legislative affairs office. In this position, he oversaw the Senate confirmation of Reagan’s initial wave of nominees including the confirmation of Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
