4 p.m. — Opening remarks followed by a conversation with Senator Warner led by Larry Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics and University Professor

6 p.m.—Reception at Pavilion IV

John William Warner was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978 and served five consecutive terms, establishing a record as the second-longest serving U.S. Senator in Virginia’s history. 

After serving as an enlisted sailor in the final years of World War II and as a commissioned officer in the marines in Korea, he graduated from the UVA School of Law in 1953 and practiced law until 1968 when he began a long, distinguished career in public service.

In 1969 he was nominated by President Richard Nixon, and confirmed by the Senate, as Under Secretary, and later as Secretary, of the U.S. Navy, serving from 1969 to 1974, during a period when America was faced with the Vietnam War in the Pacific and the Cold War with the Soviet Union in Europe. From 1974 to 1976 he had the honor of serving as Director of the American Revolution Bicentennial administration.

Senator John W. Warner and his family have generously donated his public papers and other important items to the University of Virginia Library, providing a remarkable view into his lifetime of public service and leadership during the fascinating period of post-World War II U.S. history. Senator Warner’s papers are a significant addition to the Library’s collections, and are now available to students, faculty, historians, researchers, and scholars from around the world.

A selection of the papers will be on display at the opening celebration.