An audio interview of John Lawrence, exhibition curator, broadcast on WLAE’s public affairs program “Greater New Orleans,” about the exhibition In the Spirit: The Photography of Michael P. Smith from The Historic New Orleans Collection

It was an historic class of freshman members to Congress in 1974. It was made up of 17 Republicans and 74 Democrats and many would go on to become household names. They turned the inner workings of the House Chamber upside down, removing longtime chairmen, and opening up the rules for more transparency and more access, in ways that are still with us today. In the midst of all of this Speaker Carl Albert, with his Majority Leader Tip O'Neill , made a decision that one of these freshman needed to be in leadership and he picked the one he thought had the most potential, and the brightest future, John W. Jenrette Jr of the 6th District of South Carolina. 

In this episode we look back at this class through the eyes of John Jenrette as he recalls the moves that changed an institution. We remember some of the all stars of this class like Paul Tsongas, Paul Simon, Max Baucus, George Miller, Jeff Jeffords, Jim Florio, Henry Hyde,  Tom Harkin, Henry Waxman, Larry Pressler, Butler Derrick, and the one member still serving in Congress today, now Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa.  They left a mark on their times, so much so, they were all the subject of an extraordinary book "The Class of '74" by John Lawrence.

We use excerpts from the author's excellent interviews available on You Tube ,where he discusses the 1974 class and its impact.  

https://youtu.be/E2MfhV8Ax0w 

An Interview with John Lawrence, author of "The Class of '74." - R Street Institute

John Lawrence , was a former Chief of Staff to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and worked for a while under Congressman George Miller, a member of the 1974 class. The book on the class received rave reviews like this one:

"If you want to know how we got to this bitterly partisan time in politics, read this book. Through hundreds of fascinating interviews plus rigorous research, Lawrence shows us how unintended consequences of congressional 'reforms' started the country along this poisonous path. "

-- Cokie Roberts

We highly recommend the book and include a link to the Amazon page here https://www.amazon.com/Class-74-Congress-Watergate-Partisanship/dp/142142469X

It was a historic moment in the history of the Congress and our Congressman John Jenrette was in the center of the action, a place he always seemed to be....

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