First Annual Ronald Reagan Lecture
Edwin Meese III holds the Ronald Reagan Chair in Public Policy at The Heritage Foundation, responsible for keeping the president's legacy of conservative principles alive in public debate and discourse. He also is the Chairman of Heritage's Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, founded in 2001 to educate government officials, the media and the public about the Constitution, legal principles and how they affect public policy.
From January 1981 to February 1985, Meese held the position of Counsellor to the President - the senior position on the White House Staff - where he functioned as Reagan's chief policy adviser.
As Attorney General and as Counsellor, Meese was a member of Reagan's Cabinet and the National Security Council. He served as chairman of the Domestic Policy Council and of the National Drug Policy Board.
Meese headed Reagan's transition effort after the former governor won the 1980 presidential election. During the presidential campaign that year, he served as Chief of Staff and senior issues adviser for the Reagan-Bush Committee.
Formerly, Meese served as Gov. Reagan's Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff in California from 1969 through 1974. He also was his Legal Affairs Secretary from 1967 through 1968. Before joining Gov. Reagan's staff in 1967, Meese served as Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County, Calif.
In addition to his background as a lawyer, educator and public official, Meese has been a business executive in the aerospace and transportation industry, serving as Vice President for administration of Rohr Industries, Inc. in Chula Vista, Calif. He left Rohr to return to the practice of law, engaging in corporate and general legal work in San Diego County. Edwin Meese III was born Dec. 2, 1931, to Edwin Jr. and Leone Meese in Oakland, Calif. He graduated from Yale University in 1953 and holds a law degree from the University of California-Berkeley. He is a retired Colonel in the Army Reserve and remains active in numerous civic and educational organizations.