W. Henson Moore III has said he “never could hold a job,” but a few lines on his résumé include deputy chief of staff for President George H. W. Bush, U.S. Representative, the U.S. Department of Energy’s deputy secretary, lawyer and Forever LSU campaign chair.
Now he can add one more achievement: the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center’s 2012 Distinguished Alumnus.
Law Center Chancellor Jack Weiss said he and other Law Center officials picked Moore as Distinguished Alumnus because of the combination his legal profession and his service to the nation and the University. Moore was honored as Distinguished Alumnus “for rare distinction in professional achievement and loyalty to the LSU Law Center,” according to a news release.
Weiss said Moore is a good representative of the Law Center because of his “sterling reputation of integrity,” his ability to use law knowledge in other jobs and because “he’s a great listener.”
Moore said the Law Center taught him to think logically and reasonably, even in jobs that didn’t require a Juris Doctorate.
Moore said a third of his time working were spent practicing law at three different firms and as a military attorney in courts-martial in the Army. The other two-thirds of his time was spent using knowledge gained from the University in various jobs, specifically his time in government.
He said he made changes in the Department of Energy based on laws he learned about in school, and he said “there’s no surprise” many members of Congress are lawyers.
“You learn to think on your feet like you do in a courtroom,” Moore said.
After numerous career paths, Moore eventually found his way home to Baton Rouge when former Chancellor Sean O’Keefe asked him to serve as chair on the Forever LSU campaign.
Moore’s job was to raise $750 million for the University through donors and supporters, notably alumni. He met with deans of every college and worked to collaborate the three foundations — LSU Foundation, LSU Alumni Association and the Tiger Athletic Foundation.
Weiss said Moore’s devotion to the University is one of the reasons he was chosen as Distinguished Alumnus.
