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Martin Gold

Counsel to the Senate Republican Leader

Marty Gold is considered one of the foremost experts on Senate procedure. Gold joined the staff of Senator Mark Hatfield in 1972, and in 1976 he became Hatfield’s staff appointment to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The following year he was made minority counsel to the Senate Rules Committee. In 1979, the Senate Republican leader, Howard Baker, recruited Gold as his procedural specialist, a role he continued to perform until his departure from the Senate in 1982. Frequently mentioned as a possible Senate parliamentarian, Gold repeatedly declined to accept the position on the grounds that the nonpartisan post would best be filled by promotion from within that office. In 2002, however, following a sudden and unexpected change in Senate Republican leadership, Gold accepted an invitation from Senator William Frist to return to the majority leader’s office as a counsel on procedural matters. His oral history therefore offers some unique insights from inside and outside the Senate from 1972 to 2004.

Table of Contents:

Preface

1) With Hatfield and Baker

2) From the Minority to the Majority

3) On the Inside and On the Outside

4) Gold and Liebengood

5) Back to the Senate

Index

Citation: "Martin Gold, Counsel to the Senate Republican Leader, 1979-1982, 2003-2004,” Oral History Interviews, Senate Historical Office, Washington, D.C.

Deed of Gift: I, Martin Gold, do hereby give to the Senate Historical Office the tape recordings and transcripts of my interviews from December 9-29, 2003. I authorize the Senate Historical Office to use the tape and transcript in such a manner as may best serve the educational and historical objectives of their oral history program. I also approve the deposit of the transcripts at the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Senate Library, and any other institution which the Senate Historical Office may deem appropriate. In making this gift, I voluntarily convey ownership of the tapes and transcripts to the public domain. Martin Gold, February 12, 2004 Accepted on behalf of the Senate Historical Office by: Richard A. Baker February 12, 2004.