George McGovern | Attorney

Former Senator George S. McGovern is a Senior Policy Advisor at Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC specializing in food, nutrition, and agriculture.  One of the great humanitarians of our time, Senator McGovern is known world-wide for his commitment to eliminate hunger and promote sound nutrition.  He has been a champion of both domestic and international nutrition programs and, along with his special colleague, Senator Bob Dole, received the World Food Prize in 2008.

Born in Avon, South Dakota, Senator McGovern graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from Dakota Wesleyan University.  He received his Masters in History and a Ph.D. in History from Northwestern University.  Prior to finishing his undergraduate education, Senator McGovern enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces and served as a B-24 bomber pilot during World War II.  He was discharged from the military as a decorated First Lieutenant who successfully flew 35 missions over enemy territory in Europe. 

George McGovern was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956 and served two terms before being chosen by President John F. Kennedy to be a Special Assistant to the President and Director of the Food for Peace program. 

In 1962, McGovern was elected to the U.S. Senate from South Dakota where he served three terms.  During that time, he chaired the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs that focused on hunger and malnutrition issues.  The Select Committee, under Senator McGovern's leadership, greatly expanded the food stamp program, the school lunch and breakfast programs, and started the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).  The Committee also issued the first government publication linking diet to disease and making dietary recommendations for the general population and is the precursor to today's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

After his tenure in the Senate, McGovern served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization from 1998-2001 and then was appointed UN Global Ambassador on World Hunger by the World Food Programme.  Senator McGovern is an honorary life member of the board of Friends of the World Food Program.  President William J. Clinton gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Senator McGovern in 2000 for his lifelong commitment to eradicate world hunger. 

In recent years, Senators McGovern and Dole have again teamed up to champion an international school lunch program.  The George McGovern-Robert Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, started in 2000, helps fight child hunger and poverty by providing nutritious meals to children in schools in developing countries.

Senator McGovern is the author of 10 books and numerous journal and magazine articles.

Areas of Expertise:

Legislation

Agriculture Policy

Nutrition Policy

Education:

Northwestern University, 1956

Doctor of History

Northwestern University, 1953

Master of Arts: History

Dakota Wesleyan University, 1946

Bachelor of Arts

Honors: Magna Cum Laude

Prior Government Positions:

Senator, U.S. Senate, South Dakota (1963-1980)

Director, Food for Peace Program (1961-1962)

Special Assistant to the President, President John F. Kennedy (1961-1962)

Member, U.S. House of Representatives, First District of South Dakota (1957-1960)

Books:

The Essential America: Our Founders and the Liberal Tradition, Simon & Schuster, 2009

Abraham Lincoln, Times Books, 2008

Out of Iraq: A Practical Plan for Withdrawal Now, Simon & Schuster, 2006

Ending Hunger Now, Fortress Press, 2005

Social Security and the Golden Age: An Essay on the New American Demographic, Fulcrum Publishing, 2005

The Third Freedom: Ending Hunger in Our Time, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002

Terry: My Daughter's Life-and-Death Struggle with Alcoholism, Plume Books, 1997

The Great Coalfield War, University Press of Colorado, 1996

Food and Population: The World in Crisis, Ayer Co Pub, 1992

Grassroots: The Autobiography of George McGovern, Random House, 1977