Lee Herbert Hamilton

Lee Herbert Hamilton (born April 20, 1931) was the vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission, and currently serves on the President's Homeland Security Advisory Council, having previously served in the United States House of Representatives for 34 years.

Born in Daytona Beach, Florida, Lee Hamilton graduated from DePauw University in 1952, where he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, and from Indiana University law school in 1956. He worked as a lawyer in private practice for the next ten years.

Hamilton was elected to the House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1965. He chaired many committees during his tenure in office, including the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Joint Committee on Printing, and others. As chair of the Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran, Hamilton chose not to investigate President Ronald Reagan or President George H. W. Bush, stating that he did not think it would be "good for the country" to put the public through another impeachment trial. He was one of the top choices for the running mate of Bill Clinton in the 1992 Presidential election. He remained in Congress until 1999.

Since leaving Congress, Mr. Hamilton has served as a member of the Hart-Rudman Commission, and was co-chair of the Baker-Hamilton Commission to Investigate Certain Security Issues at Los Alamos. He sits on many advisory boards, including those to the CIA, the president's Homeland Security Advisory Council, and the United States Army. He is currently the president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center For Scholars, and was appointed to serve as the vice chair of the 9/11 Commission.