Mitch Daniels – 1967 Scholar

Mitch Daniels, the former Governor of Indiana, is currently the President of Purdue University.  Visiting the White House as a 1967 Presidential Scholar from Indiana likely whetted his appetite for a political career. After earning a bachelor’s degree from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and then his J.D. from Georgetown Law School, Daniels served as a senior advisor to President Reagan, worked as a senior executive at Eli Lilly and Company, and was eventually appointed head of the Office of Management and Budget, where President George W. Bush nicknamed him “The Blade” for his commitment to protect tax-payers from excessive government spending. In 2003 Daniels resigned to return to Indiana and run – successfully – for Governor.