Author, Watergate’s Unexpected Hero: The Life of Peter W. Rodino, Jr.
This week, Ira spoke with Lawrence Spinelli, author of Watergate’s Unexpected Hero: The Life of Peter W. Rodino, Jr.. In this Nixonian episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Lawrence talks about his long relationship with Rodino; why Rodino did not want to profit from his historic role in the Nixon impeachment; why he promised Rodino he would write his biography; finding out surprising details about his early life; Rodino’s struggle to become a lawyer, coming from a rough neighborhood; why he became a national hero; the funny story about Nixon and Rodino after the president left office; how “politics found him”; and why he was very always underestimated.
During a distinguished career that spanned more than four decades, Dr. Lawrence Spinelli held a variety of senior-level positions in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. His first job on Capitol Hill was as press secretary to Peter W. Rodino Jr., and he spent five years as director of communications for then-Senator Joe Biden.
Lawrence’s longest tenure in government was at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, where he served as the Director of Outreach and Public Affairs. He retired in 2017. Lawrence is author of Dry Diplomacy: The United States, Great Britain, and Prohibition. The first study of the diplomatic impact of Prohibition, Dry Diplomacy was praised by the Journal of American History for being “engagingly written and comprehensively researched.”
Lawrence was an assistant professor of political science at Drew University and a professorial lecturer at American University. He received his undergraduate degree from Drew, a master’s degree in government from Georgetown University, and a master’s degree and doctorate degree in history from New York University.
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