Lugar’s Knight Moves
Former Sen. Richard G. Lugar should probably go ahead and update his résumé on Tuesday. That’s when the Indiana Republican will be dubbed an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire during a semi-private ceremony at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Lugar, whose nearly four-decade-long career on Capitol Hill came to a close after a primary defeat in 2012, won’t be able to go by “sir”— that’s the exclusive domain of British nationals who get the nod from the queen — but is looking forward to leveraging his elevated status.
“I will focus my service on solving our most serious challenges in a spirit of cooperation between our countries,” he said in a statement.
According to an embassy spokesman, Lugar, who twice served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was singled out for the honor by the British government. He joins a modest fraternity of U.S. pols recognized by the monarchy, including: the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., (2009); Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va., (2009); former Speaker Tom Foley, D-Wash., (1995) and Sen. James William Fulbright, D-Ark. (1975).
The number of Knights Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath born stateside is even smaller: President George Bush (1993), President Ronald Reagan (1989) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (1944) make up the entire club.