Constitution Day at Welch College to Feature Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
NASHVILLE, TN—Alberto Gonzales, former Attorney General of the United States, will address Welch College students, faculty, and guests for Constitution Day, September 19, according to President Matt Pinson.
The son of migrant workers, Judge Gonzales grew up in Houston, Texas. He joined the Air Force after high school where he served a brief time before attending the U.S. Air Force Academy. He would later transfer to Rice University, completing his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1979. From there, Judge Gonzales was accepted into Harvard Law School where he would earn his J.D. in 1982.
After practicing law in Houston as a partner at a major firm, Mr. Gonzales served in several key positions in state government including Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court and Secretary of the State of Texas.
Judge Gonzales was appointed to the position of U.S. Attorney General by former President George W. Bush and was sworn into office on February 3, 2005, making him the first Hispanic to receive appointment as the head of the Department of Justice. He also served as the White House Counsel to the President prior to his appointment as Attorney General.
Judge Gonzales currently holds the Doyle Rogers Distinguished Chair of Law at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he teaches Constitutional Law.
Mr. Gonzales will speak in Memorial Auditorium at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 19. President Pinson said, “We are so pleased to have Judge Alberto Gonzales with us for Constitution Day. He takes citizenship seriously, and so do we at Welch College. We invite area pastors and churches to join with Welch students, faculty, and staff to hear the former Attorney General remind us all what it means to be a Christian citizen of the United States.”