Pierre Salinger

Chair of the Board of Trustees, 1980–89

Pierre Salinger was a journalist, author and politician who held numerous prominent roles in American public life. From 1961 to 1964, he served as White House Press Secretary to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, before briefly becoming a US senator. In 1968, he was campaign manager for Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign. After leaving politics following Kennedy’s assassination, Salinger worked as a correspondent for ABC News and L’Express. 

Salinger was a member of the Board of Trustees of ACP and AUP for over 20 years under six presidents, serving as both its Chair (1980–89) and Honorary Chair (1990–98). During his tenure – and thanks to his existing connections to the French government, his devotion to the institution and his strong and enduring partnership with President Daniel J. Socolow – the American College in Paris, soon to become The American University of Paris, became a fully compliant, legally recognized institution in France.  

When Salinger began his tenure, ACP had just become a four-year degree-granting college. He oversaw a period of tremendous growth at AUP, leading to expanded faculty and student bodies, during which his gifts as a speechwriter and journalist permitted AUP to articulate its vision and promise to the world. Salinger was also pivotal in bringing numerous trustees into the AUP fold, including David T. McGovern, who would go on to become AUP’s longest-serving trustee.  

Salinger died aged 79 near his home in France in 2004.