# Which folks in congress have the most respectable academic cv's? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 25, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-folks-in-congress-have-the-most-respectable-academic-cvs/626268 "2012-06-25T17:22:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-folks-in-congress-have-the-most-respectable-academic-cvs/626268/1 "2012-06-25T17:22:57Z")
I know that some of the folks in congress, despite their apparent stubborn, inflexible and intransigent stands, must be innately bright people. I also understand that it’s a mistake to equate schooling with education. None-the-less, some of the senators and congressmen must have some stellar intellectual and academic achievements behind them. Who among them are standouts from that point of view? I’m not talking about attending Harvard, per se, but maybe graduating cum laude from one of those august institutions, earing a doctorate, etc. Dopers - who’s the real brain trust in DC? xo, C. p.s. - yeah, I know Newt has a Ph.D., but that, alone, doesn’t qualify him as one of the top intellects in the business. I’m looking for the truly bright. Are there any there? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-folks-in-congress-have-the-most-respectable-academic-cvs/626268/2 "2012-06-25T17:43:31Z")
[First hit on Google](http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_PhD_in_Congress). > [@](#): > > As has been true in recent Congresses, the vast majority of members (95%) of the 111th Congress hold university degrees. CRS research indicates that 27 members of the House and one Senator have no educational degree beyond a high school diploma. Five members of the House, but no Senators, have associate’s degrees as their highest degree, and one House member has an LPN (nursing) degree. Eighty-two members of the House and 17 Senators earned a master’s degree as their highest educational degree, and 169 members of the House and 57 Senators have a law degree. Of the members holding a law degree, five (three House members and two Senators) also > hold an LLM (Master of Laws) degree. Twenty-three Representatives (but no Senators) have doctoral (PhD) degrees, and 17 members of the House and three Senators have a medical degree. > > By comparison, 30 years ago in the 96th Congress (1979-1981), at least 48 members of the House and seven Senators had no degree beyond a high school diploma. Sixty-seven Representatives and 15 Senators had a master’s degree, 17 Representatives and four Senators had a doctoral (PhD) degree, and 197 members of the House and 60 Senators had a law degree. Five members of the House and one Senator had a medical degree. > > Forty years ago, in the 91st Congress (1969-1971), at least 45 Representatives and nine Senators had no degree beyond a high school diploma. Thirty-seven Representatives and 14 Senators had a master’s degree, seven Representatives and two Senators had a doctoral (PhD) degree, 219 members of the House and 58 Senators had a law degree, and four Representatives had a medical degree. > > In addition, three Representatives and one Senator in the 111th Congress are graduates of the U.S. Military Academy and two Senators and one Representative are graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy. Three Senators and two Representatives were Rhodes Scholars, three Representatives were Fulbright Scholars, one Representative was a Truman Scholar, and one Representative was a Marshall Scholar. > > \*Source: Manning, Jennifer E. (27 Dec 2010) “Membership of the 111th Congress: A Profile,” published by the Congressional Research Service. [U.S. Senate: 404 Error Page](http://www.senate.gov/CRSReports/crs-publish.cfm?pid=%260BL))PL%3B%3D%0A ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-folks-in-congress-have-the-most-respectable-academic-cvs/626268/3 "2012-06-25T18:04:07Z")
The late Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota was a professor of Political Science before being elected to the Seante. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-folks-in-congress-have-the-most-respectable-academic-cvs/626268/4 "2012-06-25T18:18:26Z")
I guess I’m not understanding the criteria very well. You’re looking for people in Congress who have strong academic credentials, such as having a PhD, but Gingrich’s PhD doesn’t count? (Not that he’s in Congress anymore, of course.) Are you looking for those who have good academic credentials, or those who are generally regarded to be very smart people regardless of what they may have studied? In terms of academic qualifications, [Rush Holt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_D._Holt,_Jr.) has a PhD in physics from NYU, and [Vern Ehlers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vern_Ehlers) has a PhD in nuclear physics from Berkeley. [Richard Lugar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lugar) and [David Vitter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Vitter) were Rhodes Scholars. [Richard Blumenthal](http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/biography) graduated summa cum laude from Harvard and went on to Yale Law. [Brad Sherman](http://bradsherman.house.gov/about/biography.shtml) graduated from UCLA summa cum laude, and Harvard Law magna cum laude. There are a handful of doctors, including thoracic surgeons like [Charles Boustany](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Boustany) and [Larry Bucshon.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Bucshon) Surely there are more members of Congress who would be regarded as pretty smart, after all, you take a group of 538 overachievers and there’s bound to be more than a dozen good ones in the bunch. As who might be the not-so-smart ones, that might depend on your own political views. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-folks-in-congress-have-the-most-respectable-academic-cvs/626268/5 "2012-06-25T18:27:03Z")
This is more of what I was after. Yes, my OP didn’t make clear exactly what I was looking for, but I wondered who is considered to be extremely bright, beyond the mere attainment of a degree (even advanced) from Harvard. A Rhodes Scholar, for example, is an indication to me of someone who’s beyond just book smart. Graduating summa from Harvard or Yale means something special, I believe. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-folks-in-congress-have-the-most-respectable-academic-cvs/626268/6 "2012-06-25T19:38:48Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > [First hit on Google](http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_PhD_in_Congress). That one’s out of date. Here’s the version for [the current Congress:](http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/R41647.pdf) > [@](#): > > As has been true in recent Congresses, the vast majority of Members (92% of House Members and 99% of Senators) at the beginning of the 112th Congress held bachelor’s degrees. The CQ Roll Call Member Profiles indicate that 26 Members of the House and 1 Senator have no educational degree beyond a high school diploma. Seven Members of the House, but no Senators, have associate’s degrees as their highest degree, and one House Member has an LPN (nursing) degree. Eighty-three Members of the House and 16 Senators earned a master’s degree as their highest educational degree. Law degrees are held by 167 Members of the House (38% of the total House) and 55 Senators (55% of the total Senate). Of the Members holding a law degree, four (three House Members and one Senator) also hold an LLM (Master of Laws) degree. Eighteen Representatives (but no Senators) have doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees, and 20 Members of the House and 4 Senators have a medical degree. > > … > > Two Senators and two Representatives were Rhodes Scholars, three Representatives were Fulbright Scholars, one Representative was a Marshall Scholar, and one Representative was a Truman Scholar. Unfortunately, the Congressional Quarterly Member Profiles mentioned in the excerpt are behind a paywall; Vitter and Lugar are the Rhodes Scholars in the Senate, but I’m not sure who the ones in the House are. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-folks-in-congress-have-the-most-respectable-academic-cvs/626268/7 "2012-06-25T19:49:58Z")
Ah, here we go: [Jim Cooper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Cooper) and [Jim Himes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Himes) were also Rhodes scholars. [Gabrielle Giffords](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabrielle_Giffords) was a Fulbright student, though she has resigned since the report was prepared, so I guess that means there are only two former Fulbright students in Congress now. [Terri Sewell](http://sewell.house.gov/about-me/full-biography) was a Marshall scholar.