Academic Summers Found Unlikely Success at Treasury Dept.

Last month, when the Democrats of the 107th Congress needed to know how President Bush's proposed tax cut would affect the economy, they called Lawrence H. Summers.

Now, the former secretary of the Treasury is preparing to make the transition back to academia from the Washington world he has inhabited since his first appointment to the Clinton administration in 1993.

Summers's colleagues in Washington say that he was a brilliant economic administrator who was critical in the development of the Clinton administration's financial policies. But they say that though Summers is a Democrat, his competence and lack of partisanship have earned him the admiration of Republicans and Democrats alike.

When Summers left Harvard in 1993 for a post at the Treasury Department, some thought he would not last long outside the world of academia and inside the political world of Washington.

"What was so impressive about Larry's performance in Washington is that people at first predicted that he would not be able to translate his academic brilliance into effectiveness in the political arena, and they proved to be dead wrong," said Gene Sperling, former National Economic Advisor and former director of the National Economic Council.

While some have called the pairing of Summers and his predecessor Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin as an odd one because of their differing styles of leadership, the two men became fast friends. Associates of the two men say they were able to draw off of each others' strengths, and made a formidable team heading up Clinton's economic issues.

"He became a skilled advocate for the positions of the administration, and learned to be at ease in settings as diverse as meeting with foreign heads of state or sitting and getting yelled at by Cokie Roberts," said former White House Chief of Staff John D. Podesta.

David P. Ellerman, one of Summers' colleagues at the World Bank, said that the transition from academic to administrator and Washington insider took one major readjustment.

"He didn't suffer fools easily. That style didn't go over easy dealing with congressmen. That was the main transformation--learning to patiently explain something to someone who's clearly not informed on the issue, and being more politically savvy in that sense," he said.

Elaine Kamarck, a former Clinton administration official who is now a lecturer at the Kennedy School of Government, said that Summers' experience at the Treasury Department is good preparation for the myriad of challenges he will face at Harvard. His domain included complex areas such as the Internal Revenue Service, the Customs Agency and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

"The IRS, Customs Agency and ATF are very complex. They are agencies that are worlds unto themselves, much like the many departments and schools at Harvard," she said. "In a way, running the Treasury Department is analogous to running a big university."

"He adapted to the best parts of Washington, and managed to miss the worst parts," Podesta said. "He learned to listen--a trait that most economics professors don't learn very well," he joked.

At a press conference yesterday where his selection was announced, Summers said he would do a lot of listening before he began to use the bully pulpit that comes with the post of Harvard president.

Friends say Summers is unlikely to use the Harvard presidency as a soapbox for electoral politics. Having already served as secretary of the Treasury, he's already "been to the top" of his field, Podesta said.

"Larry did spend eight years as part of an administration, but his roots are in higher education. He doesn't want to politicize higher education. The treasury was one of the least political parts of the government. He got a lot done in Washington that was very bipartisan. He was able to work with everyone," said Sheryl K. Sandberg '91, Summers' chief of staff at the Treasury Department.

At the press conference yesterday afternoon, Summers offered a glimpse of how he might use the Harvard presidency to advocate various issues, though he did not state what those issues were.

"I'm sure that when it's appropriate, and in Harvard's interest, I will feel free to speak and write on issues that are of concern to Harvard and issues that are of concern to higher education," Summers said. "But to try to speculate on that at this point would be very premature."

Friends say Summers will likely use the Harvard presidency to push issues he cares about. Late last year, for example, Summers became deeply involved in the push for tax incentives to encourage the development of an AIDS vaccine.

But policy has never been the only thing on Summers' mind.

"He's somebody who cares about his colleagues, cares about what marks he's making and leaving and is strong-willed and is someone who can work well with a lot of people," Podesta said.

"He was viewed as a hard bargainer, and a guy who would press his position, but someone who was always straight and honest," Podesta added.

Indeed, when a controversial memo regarding the disposal of toxic waste,

written by an assistant but signed by Summers, was leaked to the press, Summers didn't hide from blame.

"He, with great integrity, didn't leave his assistant out to dry--he took the blame himself. It shows great integrity of mind and also great personal integrity," Ellerman said.

Friends say that worries as to Summers' alleged irritability are unfounded.

"He is the most wonderful person to work for," Sandberg said.

But Summers' friends in Washington say Harvard should be wary of at least one aspect of the new president-designee's personality.

"He's got a really wry sense of humor. That'll definitely be a downgrade from [Rudenstine]," Podesta laughs.

--Garrett M. Graff contributed to the reporting of this article.

--Staff writer Andrew J. Miller can be reached at amiller@fas.harvard.edu.