Aram Bakshian Jr. (March 11, 1944 – September 14, 2022) was an American political aide and speechwriter. He began his career working for

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

Bill Brock William Emerson Brock III (November 23, 1930 – March 25, 2021) was an American Republican politician who served in both chambers of the United States Congress from 1963 to 1977 and later in the United States Cabinet from 1981 to 1987. He was ...

(1966–70), then became a special assistant and

speechwriter A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. They can also be ...

for

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

(RNC) Chairman

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Bob Dole (1971). He joined the speechwriting staff of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and, later, of President

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

(1972–75). He then became a senior consultant to

Treasury Secretary The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

William E. Simon William Edward Simon (November 27, 1927 – June 3, 2000) was an American businessman and philanthropist who served as the 63rd United States Secretary of the Treasury. He became the Secretary of the Treasury on May 9, 1974, during the Nixon admi ...

(1976–77). Following his government service, Aram went on the lecture circuit as well as becoming a senior fellow at

Harvard Kennedy School The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

before being brought back for White House service. President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

brought Aram on during his first term initially in the Office of Public Liaison as a Special Assistant to the President (Arts, Humanities, Education/Academia, and International Affairs (1981), before he was hired as the Director of the White House Office of Speechwriting (1981–83). In 1987, President Reagan nominated him to a term on the National Council on the Humanities (1987–92). Following his years in government, Bakshian began his tenure as the editor-in-chief of the periodic journal the ''American Speaker'' (1992 until his retirement in 2009). In 2014, he began to serve as a contributing editor to ''The National Interest'' magazine. Aram died September 14, 2022, of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

References

External links

Biography at Harvard UniversityAppointment of Aram Bakshian, Jr., as Special Assistant to the President and Director of the Presidential Speechwriting Office, 1981Aram Bakshian, Jr. Oral History, Director of Speechwriting
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bakshian, Aram 1944 births 2022 deaths American politicians of Armenian descent American speechwriters Harvard Kennedy School staff Reagan administration personnel Washington, D.C., Republicans White House Directors of Speechwriting Writers from Washington, D.C.