William Strauss
| William Strauss | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
December 5, 1947 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 18, 2007 (aged 60) McLean, Virginia, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Known for | Capitol Steps, Cappies |
William Strauss (February 5, 1947 – December 18, 2007) was an American author, amateur historian, playwright, theater director, and lecturer. As an author, he is known for his work with Neil Howe on social generations and for Strauss–Howe generational theory. He is also well known as the co-founder and director of the satirical musical theater group the Capitol Steps, and as the co-founder of the Cappies, a critics and awards program for high school theater students.
Strauss was born in Chicago and grew up in Burlingame, California. In 1963, during his junior year of high school, he was a Supreme Court Page, and he graduated from Harvard University in 1969. In 1973, he received a JD from Harvard Law School and a master’s in public policy from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he was a member of the program’s first graduating class.
After receiving his degrees, Strauss worked in Washington, DC as a policy aid to the Presidential Clemency Board, directing a research team writing a report on the impact of the Vietnam War on the generation that was drafted. In 1978, Strauss and Lawrence Baskir co-authored two books on the Vietnam War, Chance and Circumstance, and Reconciliation after Vietnam. Strauss later worked at the U.S. Department of Energy and as a committee staffer for Senator Charles Percy, and in 1980 he became chief counsel and staff director of the Subcommittee on Energy, Nuclear Proliferation, and Government Processes.
In 1981, Strauss organized a group of senate staffers to perform satirical songs at the annual office Christmas party of his employer, Senator Percy. The group was so successful that Strauss went on to co-found a professional satirical troupe, the Capitol Steps, with Elaina Newport. The Capitol Steps is now a $3 million company with more than 40 employees who perform at venues across the country. As director, Strauss wrote many of the songs, performed regularly off Broadway, and recorded 27 albums.
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