The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton, senior member of the Indiana Congressional Delegation, has spent nearly his entire adult life in public service and is among the most distinguished members of the United States House of Representatives. He has earned national and international regard for his wisdom and knowledge in foreign policy, his high standards of personal integrity, and his thoughtful and objective approach to controversial issues.

Mr. Hamilton was born in Florida. He received the B.A. from DePauw University in 1952 and spent the following year at Goethe University in Frankfort, Germany. In 1956 he was awarded the J.D. from Indiana University. He was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1965 and has served continuously since that time. Mr. Hamilton's superb leadership was widely recognized during his tenure as chairman of the Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran. His wise and skilled handling of the Iran-Contra hearings was an important factor in the public's confidence in a just outcome.

He has served also as chairman of the Joint Economic Committee and of the Subcommittee on Economic Goals and Intergovernmental Policy; as ranking member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East; as vice president of the Congressional Delegation to the U.S. Group of the Interparliamentary Union; and as a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Post Office and Civil Service Committee, and the Standards of Official Conduct Committee.

He has received numerous awards for distinguished public service, including Knight of the French Legion of Honor, the Defense Intelligence Agency Medallion, the Central Intelligence Agency Medallion, the Midwest Universities Consortium for International Activities 25th Anniversary Award, the American Farm Bureau Federation Golden Plow Award, the Federation of German-American Clubs Gen. Lucius D. Clay Award, and honorary degrees from seven colleges and universities.