The Edwards Lecture in Politics and History honors Congressman Don Edwards who represented San José for 32 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Edwards earned the title "the conscience of Congress" for his steadfast support of civil rights and his advocacy of all the disadvantaged. Columnist Nat Hentoff frequently referred to Edwards as "the Congressman from the Constitution" because he regarded the Bill of Rights as his constituency. In 2002, he received the American Bar Association's Thurgood Marshall Award for his "unswerving devotion to the constitution and its values." In 2003, the House of Representatives honored Edwards with one of the first Congressional Distinguished Service Awards, noting the civility of his work and his refusal to pursue "political ambition at the expense of common decency" or to "sacrifice his soul at the alter of political expediency."

The Edwards Lecture series was launched in 1995 by friends and admirers of Congressman Edwards with the goal of enabling students to meet and hear the stories of prominent men and women who have shaped our history. Previous speakers include Hon. Don Edwards, Hon. Norman Mineta, Hon. Leon Panetta, Senator Barbara Boxer, Representative Zoe Lofgren, Mervin Field, Kevin Starr, Erin Brockovich-Ellis, Gloria Steinem and Dolores Huerta.

Lecture Videos

San Jose Mayors (28:30 minutes)

Five mayors of San Jose, CA, past and present, discuss the job and the city. This is an edited version of the panel discussion in the spring of 2012, as part of the Don Edwards Lecture Series at San Jose State University. Presented as a special edition of Equal Time, the news-magazine show produced at SJSU.

 

Former California Governor Gray Davis (59:21 minutes)

Spring 2013: Don Edwards Lecture on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 in the Barrett Ballroom, SJSU Student Union.

 

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_{The lecture series is funded by sponsorships and an endowment. For further information on the endowment, contact Garrick Percival at (408-924-5553), or visit the following webpage: Political Science Donors.}