March 2, 1981
The President today announced the appointments of William J. Baroody, Jr., and Robert A.
Mosbacher to be private members of the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars (Smithsonian Institution). He also announced that James A. Baker III, White
House Chief of Staff, will be the goverment member of the Board of Trustees.
Mr. Baroody is president of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. He
served as executive vice president of AEI in 1977 - 78. In 1973 - 74 Mr. Baroody was Special
Assistant to the President, and later, Assistant to the President in 1974 - 76. From 1969 to 1973,
he served as assistant to the Secretary of Defense. From 1961 to 1968, he was legislative assistant
and press secretary to Representative Melvin Laird. Mr. Baroody was graduated from Holy Cross
College (A.B., 1959). He served in the U.S. Navy in 1959 - 61. He is married and has nine
children. He resides with his family in Alexandria, Va. He was born in Manchester, N.H., on
November 5, 1937.
Mr. Mosbacher has been an independent oil and gas producer since 1948, serving as chairman and
chief executive officer of Mosbacher Production Co. of Houston, Tex. He has served as director
or chairman of the following groups: the Texas Heart Institute, the Mid-Continental Oil and Gas
Association, the American Petroleum Institute, the National Petroleum Council, the American
Petroleum Landmen, and the All American Wildcatters Association. He has served as national
finance chairman of the George Bush for President Committee, 1980, and the President Ford
Committee in 1976. Mr. Mosbacher was graduated from Washington and Lee University (B.S.,
1947). He is married and has four children. He resides in Houston, Tex. Mr. Mosbacher was born
in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., on March 11, 1927.
Mr. Baker is Assistant to the President and White House Chief of Staff. He was previously with
the firm of Andrews, Kurth, Campbell and Jones of Houston, Tex. In 1975 - 76 he was Under
Secretary of Commerce. In May 1976 Mr. Baker was appointed deputy chairman for delegate
operations of the President Ford Committee. In August 1976 he became chairman. Mr. Baker was
the Republican nominee for attorney general of Texas in 1978. In 1979 - 80 he was chairman of
the George Bush for President Committee. During the 1980 general election campaign, he acted
as senior adviser to the Reagan-Bush Committee. In 1977 President Ford appointed Mr. Baker to
serve a 5 - year term on the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars. He was graduated from Princeton Unitversity (B.A., 1952) and the University of Texas
Law School (J.D., 1957). He served in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952 - 54. Mr. Baker is married
and has eight children. He resides with his family in Washington, D.C. He was born in Houston,
Tex., on April 28, 1930.