Kenneth Gerald Gormley (born March 19, 1955) is an American lawyer,

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

and novelist who is the 13th president of

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Gh ...

. He is a former

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

and a professor of

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fe ...

at Duquesne University School of Law. He is also a legal counsel for the Appellate Practice Group at the law firm Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP. His scholarly work focuses particularly on the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...

and

special prosecutor In the United States, a special counsel (formerly called special prosecutor or independent counsel) is a lawyer appointed to investigate, and potentially prosecute, a particular case of suspected wrongdoing for which a conflict of interest exis ...

Career

Kenneth Gerald Gormley was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

on March 19, 1955 and grew up in nearby Swissvale and

Edgewood Edgewood may refer to: Places Canada *Edgewood, British Columbia South Africa *Edgewood, a University of KwaZulu-Natal campus in Pinetown, South Africa United States Cities and towns *Edgewood, California *Edgewood, Florida *Edgewood, Illinois, a ...

. He earned a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in political science and philosophy from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

in 1977 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1980. Gormley joined the Duquesne Law faculty in 1994 after clerking for U.S. District Judge Donald E. Ziegler, teaching at the

University of Pittsburgh School of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Pitt Law) was founded in 1895. It became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1900. Its primary home facility is the Barco Law Building. The school offers four degrees: Master ...

, engaging in private practice, serving as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission, and serving as special clerk to Justice Ralph J. Cappy of the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Ju ...

. Gormley was named dean of the law school in December 2008. He has written articles for publications ranging from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' to the ''

ABA Journal The ''ABA Journal'' (since 1984, formerly ''American Bar Association Journal'', 1915–1983, evolved from '' Annual Bulletin'', 1908–1914) is a monthly legal trade magazine and the flagship publication of the American Bar Association. It is no ...

'' and is author of the book ''

Archibald Cox Archibald Cox Jr. (May 17, 1912 – May 29, 2004) was an American lawyer and law professor who served as U.S. Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy and as a special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal. During his career, he was ...

: The Conscience of a Nation''. An expert on the constitutional crisis presented by Watergate, he has also published legal commentary on privacy issues. In 2006, he testified before the U.S. Senate regarding warrantless surveillance. His most recent book, ''The Death of American Virtue: Clinton vs. Starr'', was released on February 16, 2010. Gormley was nominated by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf to one of two vacancies on the

in February 2015. The Pennsylvania State Senate opted not to fill the vacancies, instead allowing the seats to be filled in the November election. On November 4, 2015, Duquesne University announced that Gormley would be the 13th President of Duquesne University, following the retirement of

Charles J. Dougherty Charles J. Dougherty (born June 28, 1949) is an American academic who served as the 12th president of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. An expert in the field of health care ethics, Dougherty has published two books on the subject. ...

, effective July 1, 2016. In October 2021, Gormley published his first novel, a legal thriller entitled ''The Heiress of Pittsburgh''. He has described the novel as a "love story to Pittsburgh".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gormley, Ken Duquesne University faculty Living people Harvard Law School alumni University of Pittsburgh alumni American legal scholars 1955 births Presidents of Duquesne University Lawyers from Pittsburgh People from Swissvale, Pennsylvania