The Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture, which recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in the realm of public service, is named for the Hon. Edward F. Hanify, class of 1904, a prominent Massachusetts jurist who was an active Holy Cross alumnus until his death in 1954, and Weston Howland, who endowed the lecture in Judge Hanify’s memory.
The Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture Committee is a student committee that works directly with the President's Office and the Hanify and Howland families to choose an annual speaker to address the College community on issues of public affairs.
Additionally, the Committee arranges for a seminar in which Holy Cross students have the opportunity to engage with the speaker in a small-group setting.
57th Annual Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom
John Kerry served as the United States’ 68th Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017. As America’s top diplomat, he guided the Department’s strategy on nuclear nonproliferation, combating radical extremism, and the threat of climate change. His tenure was marked by the successful negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Climate Agreement. On January 20, 2021, he was sworn in as our nation’s inaugural Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and the first-ever Principal to sit on the National Security Council entirely dedicated to climate change. President Biden announced Kerry would have a seat at every table around the world as he combats the climate crisis to meet the existential threat that we face.
From 1985 to 2013, he served as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts, and was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 to 2013. Secretary Kerry served in the U.S. Navy, completing two combat tours of duty in Vietnam for which he received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his law degree from Boston College Law School.
Secretary Kerry is the best-selling author of A Call to Service, This Moment on Earth with his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry, and his 2018 memoir, Every Day Is Extra, which The New York Times described as “a bittersweet reminder of what the country once demanded of its leaders.”
Secretary Kerry was the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States in 2004. On May 3rd 2024, Secretary Kerry was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his lifelong commitment to public service.