The Honorable Powell Moore has deep family connections to the Milledgeville community and Georgia Military College. A native of Milledgeville, Moore’s great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were newspaper editors at The Union-Recorder in Milledgeville. His great-grandfather, Jere N. Moore, is one of Georgia Military College’s founding fathers.
He attended GMC High School and graduated in 1955 before attending GMC Junior College for one year. At GMC, he was a Cadet Battalion Commander and lettered on the Junior College football team. He then went on to attend the University of Georgia, graduating in 1959.
After graduating from The University of Georgia, Moore was commissioned as an Infantry officer in the United States Army. He served for more than three years with tours in Baumholder, Germany, and Fort Benning, Georgia. After concluding military service, Moore embarked on an incredible career in public service. During his lifetime, Moore served in senior positions for two U.S. Senators and four U.S. Presidents.
He served as Press Secretary to United States Senator Richard Russell of Georgia from 1966 until the Senator’s death in 1971. He then joined the Nixon Administration, first serving as Deputy Director of Public Information for the Department of Justice and later as a member of the White House Legislative Affairs staff. He served on the White House Staff under President Ford as well. From 1975-1981, he engaged in government relations and legislative affairs consulting, representing a variety of corporations and associations. Moore returned to the White House in January 1981 the day following Ronald Reagan’s inauguration as President of the United States. As Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs in 1981, he managed the Senate component of the Legislative Affairs office at the White House. In January 1982, President Reagan nominated him to be Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in February 1982. After leaving government in late 1983, Moore advised and represented business interests as a consultant and as Vice President for Legislative Affairs of the Lockheed Corporation.
In September 1998, Moore returned to government service, serving as Chief of Staff to Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee until 2001. In April 2001, President Bush nominated Moore to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in May 2001. He is, perhaps, the only person to have led congressional liaison efforts at both the Departments of State and Defense.
Moore concluded his public service in 2009 as representative of the U.S. Secretary of Defense to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Vienna, Austria.
Throughout his esteemed career, Moore played a leading role during some of our nation’s most critical moments, including the end of the Cold War at President Reagan’s State Department, Watergate, the confirmation of Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon and The Global War on Terror.Presidents, cabinet secretaries, and senators sought Mr. Moore’s advice and counsel. They trusted his steady hand and unflappable approach to any crisis. He was deeply respected as an honest broker by leaders in both U.S. political parties.
Moore was awarded the Defense Department’s Medal for Distinguished Public Service in 2005.
He was a trustee emeritus for the Richard B. Russell Foundation and the Georgia Military College Foundation. He was a member of the former board of visitors of the James Cox Jr. Center for Journalism at the University of Georgia as well. Moore was a member of the Society of Colonial Wars and the Society of the Cincinnati. He was a past president of the Association of Former Senate Aides and the U.S. Senate Press Secretaries Association.
Moore was married to his wife, Pamla, for 17 years. He had two children, a daughter and son, and five grandchildren.
