Howard Scholer Liebengood (December 29, 1942 – January 13, 2005) was an American lawyer and lobbyist. A protégé of Senator Howard Baker, he served as Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate from 1981 to 1983 before leaving to become a lobbyist for the Tobacco Institute. He later served as chief of staff to Senators Fred Thompson and Bill Frist.[1]
Howard Scholer Liebengood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 27th Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the United States Senate | |
| In office January 5, 1981 – September 12, 1983 | |
| Leader | Howard Baker |
| Preceded by | Nordy Hoffman |
| Succeeded by | Larry E. Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Howard Scholer Liebengood December 29, 1942 South Bend, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | January 13, 2005 (aged 62) Vienna, Virginia, U.S. |
| Spouse | Deanna Mickey |
| Children | 3, including Howard |
| Alma mater | Kansas State University Vanderbilt University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Life and career
editLiebengood was born in South Bend, Indiana, and raised in Plymouth, Indiana. He received his undergraduate degree from Kansas State University and earned his law degree in Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee in 1967. At Vanderbilt, Liebengood met Fred Thompson, who became a close and lifelong friend.[1] Liebengood served in the U.S. Army military police from 1968 to 1970, including in Vietnam, and was decorated with the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal. He was a lawyer in Nashville, before becoming minority (Republican) counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee in 1973. In 1974, he and Thompson co-founded a law firm in Nashville.[1]
In 1975, Liebengood returned to Washington to work as a consultant for the Church Committee (Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities).[1][2] The next year, he became minority staff director of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.[1] In 1980, he became legislative counsel to Senator Howard Baker.[1] Liebengood and William Hildenbrand were Baker's two leading advisors.[3]
From 1981, Liebengood became sergeant-at-arms of the U.S. Senate; in that role, he supervised more than 1,200 employees, including 500 Capitol Police officers, 185 computer specialists, nine carpenters, and seven barbers.[1] In 1983, Liebengood stepped down to become executive vice president for federal relations at the Tobacco Institute. In 1984, Liebengood and Martin B. Gold established the lobbying firm Gold and Liebengood, which lobbied on behalf of clients such as the Chemical Manufacturers Association, Federal Express, Fiat, Martin Marietta and the Hopi tribe. In 1989, Burson-Marsteller purchased the firm, and Liebengood moved to the Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy law firm before becoming the head lobbyist for the Philip Morris Companies Inc. in 1995.[1] In 2001, he became chief of staff to Thompson, who had become a U.S. senator; in 2003, after Thompson retired, Liebengood became chief of staff to Republican Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the Senate Majority Leader.[1]
On January 13, 2005, one month after retiring, Liebengood died at his home in Vienna, Virginia, of a heart attack.[1]
Family
editLiebengood was married and had three children.[1] His son, Howard "Howie" Liebengood, was an officer of the United States Capitol Police from April 2005 until his death by suicide at the age of 51, on January 9, 2021.[4] The younger Liebengood had been on duty during the storming of the United States Capitol three days before his death.[4][5][6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Schudel, Matt (January 16, 2005). "Lobbyist, Senate Aide Howard Liebengood Dies". Washington Post. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ Frederick A.O. Schwarz Jr. & Aziz Z. Huq, Unchecked And Unbalanced: Presidential Power in a Time of Terror (New Press: 2011), p. 228.
- ^ Ira Shapiro, The Last Great Senate: Courage and Statesmanship in Times of Crisis (Rowman & Littlefield: 2017), pp. 141–42.
- ^ a b Caldera, Camille; Brown, Matthew (January 13, 2021). "Capitol Police officer Howard Liebengood, 51, dies days after riot; remembered as 'selfless,' 'kind'". USA Today. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ Klein, Allison; Tan, Rebecca (January 11, 2021). "Capitol Police officer who was on duty during the riot has died by suicide, his family says". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ Andrea, Lawrence (January 11, 2021). "Fallen Capitol Police officer Howard Liebengood attended Purdue before joining the force". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved January 13, 2021.