Judd Gregg
- See also Wikipedia's article about "Judd Gregg".
Judd Gregg CC '69 is a Republican Senator from New Hampshire who accepted Barack Obama's nomination for Secretary of Commerce in 2009, but then rejected it, citing irreconcilable differences with the administration. He has also served as a Representative from and a Governor of the state.
Columbia years
Born in New Hampshire to his father, who also served as governor of the state, Gregg first followed in his footsteps by attending exlusive Exeter. He came to Columbia because it was located in the "biggest city [he] could find", having never visited campus and barely glancing at the brochure. Despite his staunch conservatism, and though he avoided the 1968 protests, Gregg was fond of soaking up the activist atmosphere in New York while at Columbia. An avid urban explorer, he jokes he majored in "subway studies" and spent much of his time in the city's museums. Despite a fondness for art history, he eventually majored in English.
Extracurricularly, he played on the varsity golf team and reportedly wore the lion mascot costume at other Columbia teams' games.
Post-graduation life and support for Columbia
After graduation, Gregg returned to New England, attending Boston University law school and eventually moving back to his home state.
In 1993, he won a John Jay Award. As an alumnus, he has been a strong supporter of Columbia athletics - and finances. In 2000, Gregg attached an amendment to an agriculture bill extending a patent for a biomedical process owned by Columbia. The patent was originally issued in 1983 and was bringing in around $100 million in annual revenue for the University.
After a slew of pharmaceutical industry lawsuits, Columbia eventually relinquished its claims to royalties. If confirmed, however, Gregg will control the patent office, so maybe he can throw Columbia an extra $100 million per year.
