An oral history interview with Mark Shields

              WISCONSIN
HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
An Oral History Interview with
MARK SHIELDS
Interviewer: .Anita Hecht, Life History Services
Recording Date: October 21, 2009
Place: Chevy Chase, Maryland. Length: 1.5 hours
Mark Shields was raised in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and in 1955 entered the University of Notre
Dame, where he majored in philosophy and minored in history. .After earning his degree in 1959, he
enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.
From 1965 to 1968, Shields worked for Sen. William Proxmire. His duties included media relations,
liaison with the Democratic Party, and research and writing on the Genocide Treaty and the Supersonic
Transport plane.
.After he left Sen. Proxmire's office in 1968, Shields worked for Sen. Robert F. Kennedy during the New
York Senator's presidential campaign. In 1969, Shields became Director of Campaign of the Democratic
National Committee.
Since then, Shields has become the "wittiest political journalist in America" (according to the The Wall
Street Journal) and one of the most respected analysts in Washington. For many years his commentary
has been a regular feature of CNN's weekly political discussion show, The Capital Gang, and The PBS
NewsHour.
Mark Shields Interview Transcript 1 Proxmire Oral History Project