Former Gov. Haley Barbour is the final speaker of the year in the LSSB Speaker Series. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Communications
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Law School Student Body will host former Gov. Haley Barbour at noon Friday (April 21) in the Khayat Law Center, Room 2094, as part of the LSSB Speaker Series.
“We are very excited to have Gov. Haley Barbour as our keynote speaker for the final LSSB Speaker Series event of the year,” said Gregory Alston, LSSB president. “Gov. Barbour, having worked on the national stage and forefront of government policy and politics, is one of the university’s most distinguished alumni.
“Gov. Barbour has represented Ole Miss and the state of Mississippi with integrity, and we look forward to having him.”
An alumnus of the UM School of Law (JD 73), Barbour started his political career in 1968 working on Richard Nixon’s presidential campaign. He since has worked closely with many Republican candidates, including Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. Barbour served as political director of the Reagan White House and cofounded BGR Group, a government affairs firm.
In 1993, Barbour served as chairman of the Republican National Committee and managed the Republican surge in 1994. This led to Republican control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
In 2004, Barbour took office as Mississippi’s 63rd governor. The following year, after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Barbour earned national recognition for his quick and decisive response to the disaster.
He later published a memoir reflecting on his perspective and leadership lessons that came from the disaster.