Political Careers Of Lee Greif And Peter Peyser

October 27, 2008

Lee Greif has engaged in many different careers throughout his life, none of which he recalls more fondly than his five year stint in politics. Although they were tumultuous and filled with some heavy tension, the early 1970s were an amazing time to be in the political arena and Greif is extremely appreciative that he could be a part of it. He was first hired in 1971 by Peter Peyser. Peyser was a congressman of New York who had recently won the election in New York’s congress race. Peyser chose Greif to be his chief of staff. This was a decision that he would not go on to regret as Grief would later go on to run two successful campaigns for his reelection.

Peter Peyser had an interesting political career of his own. A Republican congressman representing the suburbs of Westchester County, New York, Peyser became a close friend and partner of Nelson Rockefeller. The two of them would often meet to discuss various policy matters and ways to accomplish their public policy goals. Grief had the opportunity to work on many projects because of Peyser’s association with Rockefeller, and did a good job on most of them. These difficult but successfully accomplished assignments earned Grief the attention and support of his superiors.

Serving as chief of staff during the early 1970s meant there was a lot going on at the time that Lee Greif could be a part of. One such event that he is particularly proud of was the dinner party held at the Whitehouse with President Nixon that he and three other congressman and their chiefs of staff took part in. Besides this were the many political briefings with Secretaries Of State and Secretaries Of Defense. Having worked during such a period of political conflict, he often had to defend some unpopular policies, especially since he served a Democrat during the war in Vietnam and a Republican during the Watergate scandal. There were two times specifically where he recalls having to defend some very unpopular policies put forth by his bosses and the president.

Lee Greif was acting as a chief of state in Washington in the early 1970’s. It was here where he met Randee, the woman who would be his first wife. Randee was working in Washington as a chief of staff for Missouri senator Thomas Eagleton. Greif and Randee became good friends with Eagleton. He was considered an upstanding gentleman and spent much time with Greif and Randee. Greif’s friendship with Eagleton was also a huge asset, as Eagleton was a dedicated public servant. Greif began to see him as a sort of role model and source of inspiration. Eagleton would eventually go on the ballot as Vice President for McGovern. The five years Grief was in Washington as chief of state for Peter Peyser served as an important and joyful time. He would apply the skills and knowledge he learned here to all other challenges in his life.

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