Interview with Chuck Ludlum now available at www.senate.gov

This oral history interview with Charles E. (Chuck) Ludlam covers a public service career that began with a 1965 summer internship on the Hill and continued until Chuck Ludlam’s retirement in 2005. Serving on the subcommittee staff of Senator James Abourezk, Ludlam drafted legislation creating the Office of Senate Legal Counsel. He also contributed to legislation covering a wide range of issues, from ethics in government to antitrust legislation, airline noise reduction, embryonic stem cell research, and U.S.-China cultural exchanges. In this four-part interview, recorded in 2003 and 2004, Ludlam recounts some colorful tales, while providing information on Senators Jim Abourezk, Philip Hart, Robert Byrd, Jim Allen, Dale Bumpers, and Joseph Lieberman, as well as Congressmen Burt Talcott, Glen Lipscomb, and Gillis Long. The oral history highlights the crucial role played by Capitol Hill staff, and provides insights into the lifestyle, skills, and tactics of a senior staff member who has fought in the political trenches for forty years.

Ludlam’s transcribed interview, along with twenty-five other oral histories, is available in the Art and History section of www.senate.gov (click on “Oral History Project”).