PULLMAN, Wash. — Thomas S. Foley, former ambassador to Japan and former Speaker of the U.S. House, will visit the Washington State University campus in Pullman Tuesday, March 11. Foley will visit with students, university faculty and administrators, and give a public lecture.
Foley will present his perspective on American politics in the lecture at 7 p.m. in the Compton Union Building ballroom.
“Thomas S. Foley brings to this campus a lifetime of public service and a unique understanding of American government and international affairs,” said Ed Weber, director of the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service. “During his time in the U.S. House, Foley helped to write key laws promoting international trade, national security, environmental protection, and agricultural operations—all issues of critical interest to the nation, the Pacific Northwest and Eastern Washington. As Ambassador to Japan during the 1990s, he improved U.S.-Japanese relations during a time of considerable trade tension. One of the things he is especially looking forward to,” said Weber “is teaching a class. He’s told me repeatedly that he wants to sit down with students and hear what they have to say.”
Foley’s opportunity to teach is included on the agenda for the trip. He will meet students from Thomas Preston’s U.S. foreign relations class and with students in the university’s Honors College.
Foley served from 1965 to 1994 in the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes the Palouse, Walla Walla and Spokane. He was the 49th speaker of the House and in 1997 became the 25th U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
Foley is currently a public law and policy attorney with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in Washington, D.C.
