Sargent Shriver: The quintessential public servant

I first met Sargent Shriver in 1964 when I was assigned by the Justice Department to the governmental task force that organized the War on Poverty. There was no OEO, so as head of the Peace Corps, Shriver headed the group assigned to him by various government agencies and departments, along with select experts on relevant subjects and policies. We worked intensely in makeshift quarters at the Peace Corps building. Shriver ran both agencies at the same time, with energy and inspiration and unusual success. Sarge was Fred Astaire-like elegant, and at the same time was a powerhouse leader who delegated easily but emphatically ran the show.

Upbeat, optimistic, patriotic, he wrote a gracious letter of thanks to me when our work was completed, in 1965: “I know of no parallel in government service where so much has been accomplished by so few people in so little time working under such adverse circumstances.” We live now in a more contentious time politically, when government service is viewed more cynically and practices more selfishly by many. Sargent Shriver reminds us of a better time when government service was an honorable experience, a privilege recognized then and remembered now by those of us who served, especially those who had the good fortune of working with Sargent Shriver.

Shriver ran the Peace Corps and OEO, perhaps two of the country’s most successful, public spirited programs in history. He later served as special assistant to President Lyndon B. Johnson, then in 1968-70 as ambassador to France; he was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 1972, and would have made a serious claim to the presidency in 1976, but his campaign did not take off. Our loss. He practiced law, served on many public interest projects, and then devoted himself for decades to the Special Olympics, which his family created and still manages.

Decades later I worked with Shriver more personally as his literary agent when he wrote his authorized biography with Scott Stossel, now an editor at Atlantic Monthly magazine. Along in years, Shriver was extraordinarily charming still, active, ebullient and full of great stories which he relished telling. At my first meeting with him one afternoon in his Special Olympics office, I commented on a photograph on his wall of Shriver with Gen., then Prime Minister, Charles de Gaulle. Shriver began reminiscing about that long-ago association, and continued nonstop until his devoted, longtime secretary Jeannie Main had to interrupt him, about three hours later, so we could all go home for dinner.

Many others have known Sargent Shriver better, longer and more intimately. But whoever came within his sphere had to fall in the sway of his energy, charm and good intentions. We live in cynical political times now, and Sargent Shriver is an anachronism. He was, and will always remain, a true public servant, a man of high civic purpose, enduringly gracious, a genuine gentleman. In looking for change, progressives should look back at Sarge Shriver, an old-fashioned, first class, public servant.

In 2003, at 87, when he fell ill, he wrote to people close to him who needed to know of his diminished condition. It was a touching, revealing note that demonstrated that a true class act continues until the end of the play. He was retiring as chairman of the Special Olympics after 35 years, but “who knows when the next assignment, if any, might be,” he wrote. He was starting “a new chapter” and wanted to “keep my ideas fresh.” His “unwelcome news” that he had Alzheimer’s disease would be a challenge, “but it does not mean that I am ready to stop challenging myself, or you … to face the new challenges.” He concluded his touching letter with a classic Sarge sentiment: “If I seem content with things as they are, don’t leave the room. Remind me of the great times we’ve had and of the great work waiting to be done.”

Much work in this country remains to be done, but few have done as much in its public service as Sargent Shriver. We all should be reminded.


Ronald Goldfarb is a Washington attorney, author and literary agent who served in the Department of Justice under Robert F. Kennedy and incidentally, as noted, with Sargent Shriver. His e-mail is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .