Fred Wertheimer
| Fred Wertheimer | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Fredric Michael Wertheimer January 9, 1939 Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
University of Michigan Harvard Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney, activist |
| Spouse(s) | Linda Wertheimer (m. 1969) |
Fredric Michael "Fred" Wertheimer (born January 9, 1939) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and activist notable for his work on campaign finance reform and other government integrity, transparency, and accountability issues.
He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Harvard Law School.
From 1967 to 1970 Wertheimer was Legislative Counsel to Representative Silvio Conte (R-MA) and Minority Counsel to the House Small Business Committee. In May 1971, he started working for Common Cause, a nonpartisan citizens’ lobby where he was assigned to the issues of campaign finance reform and ending U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. In 1976, Wertheimer was legal counsel for Common Cause during the Buckley v. Valeo case. He worked there until 1995, serving as Legislative Director, Vice President for Program Operations and as President from 1981 to 1995. Through Common Cause, Wertheimer sought legislation regulating special interest groups and political action committees.
During his twenty-four year tenure at Common Cause, Wertheimer led the organization's successful campaign to pass the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), creating the current system of public financing in presidential campaigns. Wertheimer also led Common Cause’s successful battles to enact comprehensive ethics and open government laws for Congress and the executive branch, and was a “key architect” of the nuclear arms control coalition in the 1980s, according to Congressional Quarterly. He also helped to create and publish Common Cause Magazine, which won the National Magazine Award for general excellence in 1987.
In 1996, Wertheimer was a Fellow at the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University, and in 1997 he was the J. Skelly Wright Fellow and Visiting Lecturer at Yale Law School. He also has been a political analyst and consultant for CBS News, ABC News and ABC’s Nightline.
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