The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation Announces David Rubenstein Will Receive the 2020 Lincoln Leadership Prize
The financier and philanthropist will be honored for preserving the history of the United States
CHICAGO, Nov. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation (ALPLF) will award its prestigious Lincoln Leadership Prize to David M. Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm, for his continuing dedication and leadership in the area of Patriotic Philanthropy.
Throughout his career, Mr. Rubenstein has been a leader in the area of philanthropy, making transformative gifts for the repair and restoration of iconic structures that represent some of the most important elements in the history and growth of the United States, including: the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Monticello, Montpelier, Mount Vernon, Arlington House, among others.
The Lincoln Leadership Prize – to be awarded February 19, 2020 at the Fairmont Chicago – is an annual award that recognizes outstanding individuals for a lifetime of service in the spirit of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. The award honors individuals who accept the responsibilities imposed by history and demanded by conscience, who show great strength of character and exhibit unwavering commitment to the defining principles of democracy.
Mr. Rubenstein generously provides the United States government with long-term loans of his rare, personal copies of Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th Amendment, the first map of the U.S. (Abel Buell map), and the first book printed in the U.S. (Bay Psalm Book).
An original signer of The Giving Pledge, Mr. Rubenstein has received a number of philanthropic awards, including the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy and MoMA's David Rockefeller Award for his history of significant donations to countless philanthropic causes.
"David Rubenstein's vision and generosity has helped restore many of our nation's most historic sites and documents and ensured countless students of history have the opportunity to view many of the documents that form the foundations of our system of government," said Ray McCaskey, Chair of the ALPLF Board of Directors. "In recognition of those efforts, we are honored to present him with this year's Lincoln Leadership Prize."
"Preserving our nation's history will better enable future generations to learn from the past to ensure a brighter future," said David M. Rubenstein. "I am honored and humbled to accept this year's Lincoln Leadership Prize and to help advance the good works of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation."
Rubenstein, a Baltimore, Maryland native, graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in 1970 where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He then continued his education at the University of Chicago Law School, where he served as an editor of the Law Review. From 1973 to 1975, Mr. Rubenstein practiced law in New York with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. From 1975 to 1976, he served as Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments and from 1977 to 1981 Mr. Rubenstein served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy during the Carter Administration. After his White House service and before co-founding The Carlyle Group, Mr. Rubenstein practiced law in Washington with Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman).
"David Rubenstein's philanthropic works make him a perfect fit to receive this prize. His contributions to the preservation our country's history are immeasurable and have helped support the efforts of other individuals and organizations who work to do the same," said Rene Brethorst, Acting Executive Director of the ALPLF.
World-renowned presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin will present the Lincoln Leadership Prize to Mr. Rubenstein. In 2016, Goodwin was the first historian to receive the coveted award for her authorship of "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln," which served in-part as the basis of 2014 Lincoln Leadership Prize recipient Steven Spielberg's major motion picture "Lincoln." Goodwin also serves as an Honorary Life Director on the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation board.
Since 2006, the ALPLF has awarded the Lincoln Leadership Prize to 12 prestigious honorees who serve in the Lincoln tradition. Previous honorees include: 43rd President of the United States George W. Bush; Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson; Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin; Civil Rights Activists The Little Rock Nine; Filmmaker Steven Spielberg; 42nd President of the United States Bill Clinton; former Polish President Lech Walesa; Journalist Tim Russert; Astronaut James Lovell, Jr; Archbishop Desmond Tutu; and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
The annual event also serves as the primary fundraiser for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation for the benefit of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, which is not a part of the National Archives Records Administration's federal system of presidential libraries. For more information about the Lincoln Leadership Prize please visit www.alplm.org. For tickets and/or table sponsorship information please call 312/553-2000.
About the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation supports the collections and the educational and cultural programming of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum; fosters Lincoln scholarship through the acquisition and publication of documentary materials relating to Lincoln and his era; and promotes a greater appreciation of history through exhibits, conferences, publications, online services, and other activities designed to promote historical literacy.
Media Contact:
RJ Bruce
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312.548.7427
SOURCE Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation (ALPLF)
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