Press Releases | Nov, 8 2017
WASHINGTON – On Nov. 8, 2017, the LBJ Foundation will award its most prestigious prize, the LBJ Liberty & Justice for All Award, to philanthropist David M. Rubenstein. Rubenstein has defined the essence of patriotic philanthropy, helping to preserve the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Declaration of Independence, and many other treasures of American history. He also has donated generously to enhance public education and advance cutting-edge medical treatment and research.
"David Rubenstein has distinguished himself as one of the most grateful and generous Americans of our generation. He embodies the beliefs that President Johnson held dear—that our mission in public service is to serve man and provide opportunity to all," said Larry Temple, chairman of the LBJ Foundation.
The LBJ Liberty & Justice for All Award will be held Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the National Archives Museum in Washington. ABC News and NPR political commentator Cokie Roberts will serve as Master of Ceremonies, and Ambassador Lloyd Hand and Cappy McGarr are the event chairs.
"David firmly believes in giving back to the country that has been so great to him, and we can't think of a more deserving recipient of the LBJ Liberty & Justice for All Award,” said Ambassador Hand and Mr. McGarr.
David M. Rubenstein
Rubenstein grew up in a working-class family in Baltimore and attended college and law school with the help of scholarships. He is a 1970 magna cum laude graduate of Duke University and graduated in 1973 from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was an editor of The Law Review.
After law school, Rubenstein practiced law in New York and then served as Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate's Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments. During the Carter Administration, Rubenstein was Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. After his White House service, he practiced law in Washington.
In 1987, Rubenstein co-founded The Carlyle Group. Today, Carlyle is one of the world's largest private equity firms, managing $170 billion from 31 offices around the world. He revealed in a TED Talk that private equity was not his parent's preferred profession. "My mother thought the highest calling of mankind was to be a dentist," he said.
Fortunately, Rubenstein followed his own instincts. His success has enabled him to donate generously to public schools, universities, hospitals, museums, and zoos and to help preserve and enhance iconic American landmarks including the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Monticello, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Archives—where Rubenstein will be honored on Nov. 8. A fierce champion of American history, Rubenstein has donated precious copies of historical documents to the Archives and Smithsonian Museums, including the Declaration of Independence, Magna Carta, Emancipation Proclamation, and the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.
When he provided one of the four surviving originals of the Magna Carta to the National Archives in 2007, Rubenstein described the gift as "a down payment on my debt back to the country." He said he wanted all Americans to be able to read the document that helped inspire the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Echoing the sentiments of President Johnson, Rubenstein said of his donation: "Making sure that people realize that we don't have these rights automatically, we have to fight to get them, and once we get them, we have to preserve them."
LBJ Liberty & Justice for All Award
The LBJ Liberty & Justice for All Award honors the vision of Lyndon Baines Johnson's presidency and the transformative laws that gave it life: a belief that every citizen should share in the benefits and blessings of the privileges and protections that lie at the heart of the American dream. President Johnson envisioned, and devoted his life to creating, a nation of justice and liberty, where everyone had the opportunity to rise, and those in need would not fail. His legislative achievements shaped the next half century of our national history, and his legacy endures to benefit future generations of Americans – the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fair Housing Act of 1968, Head Start, Medicare, Medicaid, Job Corps, the Clean Air Act, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Humanities, and many more. The LBJ Foundation created the award to recognize and honor individuals who, in their own unique way, have expanded the opportunities for all of our citizens and carried forward the legacy of President Johnson. Previous recipients include President Jimmy Carter, President George H. W. Bush, Rep. John Lewis, Rep. John Dingell, Sen. Carl Levin, Rep. James Clyburn, and former Attorney General Eric Holder. Proceeds from the event will benefit the LBJ Washington Center and its immersive graduate program - creating the leaders of tomorrow.
LBJ Foundation
The LBJ Foundation is a nonprofit organization created by President and Mrs. Johnson to support the LBJ Presidential Library and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. The foundation provides support to the library that enhances quality programming, expands educational outreach and exhibits, and administers grants for researchers and scholars. The foundation supports the LBJ School in the outstanding education that it provides its graduate students in public policy and governmental affairs, community outreach, and the exploration of global initiatives. One looks to the past and the other to the future, providing an ongoing legacy for President Johnson's vision for our nation.
LBJ School of Public Affairs Washington Center
The LBJ School of Public Affairs, among the top graduate schools in the nation, created the LBJ Washington Center to prepare a new generation of national leaders. The center provides a platform for elevating the LBJ School and The University of Texas in policy discourse at the national level.
