Harvard Donors Favor Clinton and Democrats

Contributors listing Harvard University as their employer in Federal Elections Commission records gave Bill Clinton eight times as much money as President Bush in the 1991-92 election cycle.

The records also show that Democratic presidential and congressional candidates received five times as much money from Harvard donors as Republican candidates.

Harvard staff gave $68,525 to Democratic candidates for federal office, while they donated only $13,250 to Republicans. Only gifts reported by October 9 are included in the totals.

And Harvard employees contributed $16,325 to Clinton while they gave a relatively meager $2,000 to Bush--with half coming from Bush's nephew, John P. Ellis, a fellow at the Institute of Politics.

The most fortunate GOP candidate was not Bush,but Sen. Robert W. Kasten Jr. of Wisconsin, whoreceived $3,000.

The total, which does not includeHarvard-affiliates who did not list the Universityas their employer, were retrieved through acomputer search of FEC records. The records arepublic information.

Individual contributions are limited to $2,000per candidate--$1,000 for primary elections and$1,000 for general elections. This election cycleincludes all elections since November 1990.

Clinton enjoyed staff support at a widespectrum of Harvard entities, including theBusiness School, the Medical School, the LawSchool, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences andHarvard Management Company.

Bush's campus support was more limited, comingexclusively from Ellis and Thomas J. Vallely,coordinator of Indo-China programs at the HarvardInstitute for International Development.

Kennedy School lecturer Robert B. Reich, one ofClinton's closest economic advisors, said lastnight he was not surprised by Harvard's generosityto the left.

"Harvard employees have always shown aremarkable degree of intelligence and politicalinsight," Reich said, "so I am not surprised atall."

Reich, Clinton's roommate while the two wereRhodes scholars at Oxford, gave $1,000 to hisfriend's campaign.

Harvard's top booster to individual candidateswas Laurence H. Tribe, Tyler professor ofconstitutional law. Tribe donated a total of$6,000, including $1,000 to Clinton.

Tribe also gave $750 to Democratic candidatePaul E. Tsongas during the primary campaign and$1,500 to Sen. Harris P. Wofford (D-Penn.) forWofford's successful 1991 Senate race againstformer Attorney General Richard G. Thornburgh.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.), a member of theSenate Judiciary Committee, was the onlyRepublican to receive money from Tribe. He got$500 in May of 1991, well before the ClarenceThomas-Anita Hill hearings in which Specter ledthe attack on the Oklahoma law professor.

Other leading contributors included BernardGottschalk ($2,700), senior research fellow at theCyclotron Laboratory, and William J. Poorvu($2,500), the MBA Class of 1961 professor ofentrepreneurship.

Scott M. Sperling, managing partner of theAeneas Group, the high-risk, high-yield divisionof the Harvard Management Company, told TheCrimson last week that in addition to his $1,400in personal contributions, he donated $5,000 tothe Democratic National Committee.

Tsongas received a total of $6,850, including$1,000 gifts from business school professorsMalcolm S. Salter and Michael Beer.

Emily J. Tsai contributed to the reportingof this article.

The most fortunate GOP candidate was not Bush,but Sen. Robert W. Kasten Jr. of Wisconsin, whoreceived $3,000.

The total, which does not includeHarvard-affiliates who did not list the Universityas their employer, were retrieved through acomputer search of FEC records. The records arepublic information.

Individual contributions are limited to $2,000per candidate--$1,000 for primary elections and$1,000 for general elections. This election cycleincludes all elections since November 1990.

Clinton enjoyed staff support at a widespectrum of Harvard entities, including theBusiness School, the Medical School, the LawSchool, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences andHarvard Management Company.

Bush's campus support was more limited, comingexclusively from Ellis and Thomas J. Vallely,coordinator of Indo-China programs at the HarvardInstitute for International Development.

Kennedy School lecturer Robert B. Reich, one ofClinton's closest economic advisors, said lastnight he was not surprised by Harvard's generosityto the left.

"Harvard employees have always shown aremarkable degree of intelligence and politicalinsight," Reich said, "so I am not surprised atall."

Reich, Clinton's roommate while the two wereRhodes scholars at Oxford, gave $1,000 to hisfriend's campaign.

Harvard's top booster to individual candidateswas Laurence H. Tribe, Tyler professor ofconstitutional law. Tribe donated a total of$6,000, including $1,000 to Clinton.

Tribe also gave $750 to Democratic candidatePaul E. Tsongas during the primary campaign and$1,500 to Sen. Harris P. Wofford (D-Penn.) forWofford's successful 1991 Senate race againstformer Attorney General Richard G. Thornburgh.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.), a member of theSenate Judiciary Committee, was the onlyRepublican to receive money from Tribe. He got$500 in May of 1991, well before the ClarenceThomas-Anita Hill hearings in which Specter ledthe attack on the Oklahoma law professor.

Other leading contributors included BernardGottschalk ($2,700), senior research fellow at theCyclotron Laboratory, and William J. Poorvu($2,500), the MBA Class of 1961 professor ofentrepreneurship.

Scott M. Sperling, managing partner of theAeneas Group, the high-risk, high-yield divisionof the Harvard Management Company, told TheCrimson last week that in addition to his $1,400in personal contributions, he donated $5,000 tothe Democratic National Committee.

Tsongas received a total of $6,850, including$1,000 gifts from business school professorsMalcolm S. Salter and Michael Beer.

Emily J. Tsai contributed to the reportingof this article.