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John Witte, Jr., 2012 Cary and Ann Maguire Chair in Ethics and American History.
Purpose
A senior scholar position to explore the history of America with special attention to the ethical dimensions of domestic economic, political, and social policies.
Appointment
By the Librarian of Congress.
Research Focus
The appointed scholar conducts research on the ethical issues associated with leadership in the United States and/or on the ethical implications of significant issues, events and movements in American History.
The research includes, but is not limited to, the conduct of politics and of government at all levels of American life and in all branches of government, and at the role in religion, business, urban affairs, law, science and medicine in the ethical dimension of leadership. The Chairholder concentrates on domestic American matters with special emphasis on how law relates to ethics.
Contributions
The goal is for research that will illuminate the responsible use of ethical knowledge for the public good.
It is hoped that the Chairholder will add new substance to the intellectual and ethical life of the capital. It is also hoped that the Chairholder will pursue a new and refreshing voice in the intellectual milieu of Washington, D.C., and will bring both philosophical depth and historical perspective to the research.
A major address towards the end of the Chairholder's tenure is one of the major intellectual occasions at the Library of Congress.
About Cary Maguire
Cary Maguire is Chair and President of Maguire Oil Company and Maguire Energy Company and Chair of Components Corporation of America and Staco Inc., California.
A member of the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress, his national leadership positions include serving on The National Petroleum Council, the Executive Committee of Mid-Continental Oil and Gas Association.
Maguire is a trustee emeritus of Southern Methodist University where he gave the founding grant to create the Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility and also endowed a university-wide professorship in ethics.
Current Chair
Bruce Carruthers - Tenth Maguire Chair (2016)
A sociologist of economy and law, Carruthers is the John D. MacArthur Chair and Professor of Sociology and director of the Buffett Institute for Global Studies at Northwestern University. The author or co-author of five books on markets, business, the economy and politics, at the Kluge Center he will research a book project tentatively titled "An Economy of Promises: Trust and Credit in America." Read announcement
Past Chairs
David Hollenbach - Ninth Maguire Chair (2015)
A theologian and scholar of human rights, theories of justice and ethics, while in residence Hollenbach researched a book project titled “Humanity in Crisis: Religious and Ethical Responses to War and Disaster.” The book explores the role of faith-based communities in responding to humanitarian crises. Read announcement
Robin Lovin - Eighth Maguire Chair (2013)
A distinguished theologian and professor of ethics, at the Library of Congress Lovin researched the 20th-century American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, his theories of Christian realism and the possibility for moral deliberation in politics. Read announcement
John Witte, Jr. - Seventh Maguire Chair (2012)
A specialist in legal history, marriage law and religious liberty, Witte is Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law, Alonzo L. McDonald Family Distinguished Professor and director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. At the Library, Witte investigated the historic evolution of the Western tradition of marriage and the reasons for the current-day prohibition of polygamy. Witte also serves as a member of the Library of Congress Scholars Council. Read announcement
James F. Childress - Sixth Maguire Chair (2010)
The John Allen Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics at the University of Virginia, Childress teaches in the Department of Religious Studies and directs the Institute for Practical Ethics and Public Life. At the Kluge Center, Childress worked on two books: one on public bioethics, and the other on the possibilities and limitations of a reconstructed theory of just war. Read announcement
William F. May - Fifth Maguire Chair (2007)
A leading scholar in the field of medical ethics, at the Kluge Center May conducted research on the shift of political anxieties in the West, from the mindset during the Cold War (the West vs. tyranny) to the current apprehensions (the West vs. anarchy).
Read announcement
Louis Galambos - Fourth Maguire Chair (2006)
A professor of history at The Johns Hopkins University, Galambos was editor of the 21-volume publication "The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower" from 1971 to 1995, and co-editor with Daun van Ee, a curator in the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress, from 1995 to 2001. Read announcement
Mark Noll - Third Maguire Chair (2004)
A prolific author, who has written extensively on Christianity and Evangelicalism. Among his many books are: "The Work We Have to Do : A History of Protestants in America" (2002); "A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada" (1992); "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind" 1994); "America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln" (2002); "Between Faith and Criticism: Evangelicals, Scholarship, and the Bible in America" (1986); and "Adding Cross to Crown: the Political Significance of Christ's Passion" (1996). Read announcement
Jean Bethke Elshtain - Second Maguire Chair (2003)
Regularly named as one of America’s foremost public intellectuals, Elshtain was Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics in the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, with appointments in Political Science and the Committee on International Relations. She was a frequent writer for journals of civic opinion and lectured widely in the United States and abroad on themes of democracy, ethical dilemmas, religion and politics, and international relations.
John T. Noonan - First Maguire Chair (2001)
A philosopher, theologian, historian and poet, Noonan is an accomplished jurist and scholar of law. In 1985 he was appointed as Senior United States federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by President Ronald Reagan.
Learn More
Have questions about chairs, fellowships & partnerships at The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress?
Email us at: [email protected]
Write to us at:
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Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington DC 20540-4860
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Maguire Lectures
A public address towards the end of the Chairholder's tenure is one of the major intellectual occasions at the Library of Congress. Lectures are filmed and placed on the Library of Congress webcast page. Click the links below to view past lectures.
Bruce Carruthers
"The Economy of Promises: Trust and Credit in America." Bruce Carruthers considers how credit and credit decision-making in the U.S. has developed over the 19th and 20th-centuries. [October 28, 2016]
David Hollenbach
"Humanity in Crisis: Ethical Responsibilities to People Displaced by War." David Hollenbach discusses the ethical responsibilities for protecting people in the midst of humanitarian crises. [April 26, 2016]
View Webcast | Read News ReleaseRobin Lovin
"Ethics, Politics and Institutions: A Moral Vocabulary for Modern Democracy." Robin Lovin argues that contemporary politics is plagued by what he terms a shrinking moral vocabulary and examines ways to reverse the trend. [January 23, 2014]
View Webcast | Read News ReleaseFull Text [PDF, 213 KB]
John Witte, Jr.
“Why Two in One Flesh: The Western Case for Monogamy Over Polygamy.” John Witte explores arguments for monogamy over polygamy in western culture. [April 30, 2013]
James F. Childress
“Respecting Conscience, Protecting Patients: Unresolved Tensions in American Health Care.” James F. Childress examines controversies surrounding the conscientious refusals of health professionals to provide legal but morally contested health-care services. [May 6, 2010]
William F. May
“Containing Runaway Fear in Foreign Policy: Recovering Our National Identity.” William May discusses the religious apprehensions, such as good versus evil, embedded in American politics. [November 29, 2007]
Louis Galambos
“Business in History.” Louis Galambos explains American concerns about corporate accountability during the 20th century. [June 14, 2006]
Mark Noll
“The Bible in American Public Life, 1860-2005.” Mark Noll explains how using the Bible in a political context can present some interesting questions and dilemmas. [April 21, 2005]
Jean Bethke Elshtain
“Harry Potter, St. Augustine, and the Confrontation with Evil.” Jean Bethke Elshtain discusses St. Augustine's discourse on evil and his rejection of a dualistic universe in which evil is an active, freestanding principle poised against good. [November 12, 2003]
Learn More
Have questions about chairs, fellowships & partnerships at The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress?
Email us at: [email protected]
Write to us at:
The John W. Kluge Center
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington DC 20540-4860
Subscribe to our RSS Feed:
To learn about news, events, and
application and nomination periods.
Subscribe now
Selection of the Maguire Chair
The Cary and Ann Maguire Chair is appointed by the Librarian of Congress.
No applications or nominations are accepted for this senior scholar position.
To view other scholar opportunities, please return to the Chairs & Fellowships page.
Learn More
Have questions about chairs, fellowships & partnerships at The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress?
Email us at: [email protected]
Write to us at:
The John W. Kluge Center
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington DC 20540-4860
Subscribe to our RSS Feed:
To learn about news, events, and
application and nomination periods.
Subscribe now
