Baroody, William J. (William Joseph), 1937-1996

William J. Baroody, Jr. was born on November 5, 1937 in Manchester, New Hampshire. He received a B.A. from Holy Cross College in 1959, served in the U.S. Navy from 1959 to 1961, and did graduate study in political science at Georgetown University from 1961 to 1963. He began his career in Washington as an aide to Republican Congressman Melvin Laird, from 1961 to 1964, and legislative and press assistant to Congressman Laird, 1965 to 1969. He also served as Research Director of the House Republican Conference from 1968 to 1969. As Laird moved to other positions, including Secretary of Defense (1969-1973) and then White House Counsellor, Baroody continued to assist him. He then served as Special Assistant to the President from 1973 to 1974. Soon after joining the White House staff, Baroody began to do some liaison work with interest groups, although his was not the only office serving this function. He presented President Nixon with a plan to consolidate all liaison offices within a single umbrella organization in January 1974, but they made little progress before the end of the administration. Upon the departure of Anne Armstrong from the White House in December 1974, President Ford merged the liaison functions of her office with those of Baroody's office and several independent liaison efforts, to form a consolidated Office of Public Liaison (OPL). Baroody served as Assistant to the President for Public Liaison from 1974 to 1977, and his staff handled most interest group liaison for the remainder of the Ford administration. After leaving the White House, Baroody served as Executive Vice President of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 1977 to 1978, and President, 1978 to 1986.