May 27, 2021
Ambassador Jess Baily ’78 Assists in John G. Winant Society Reboot
During his time at St. Paul’s School, John Kerry ’62 founded the John G. Winant Society to encourage greater student awareness of current affairs and politics in a bipartisan setting. Through the years, the club has provided a platform for students to engage in debates, hear from foreign policy experts, and participate in politics on a local and national level. Interest in the club had declined in recent years, but formmates Owen Sweet ’21 and Seth McKenzie ’21 felt it was an important moment in history to revitalize it. “Our political arena is very polarized right now and this club is timely because it will be a place where partisan politics won’t be welcome,” Sweet notes.
To help with the kickstart, Sweet and McKenzie organized a community-wide Zoom discussion with featured panelists Ambassador Jess Baily ’78 and award-winning author and political analyst Jonathan Alter. A career Foreign Service officer now retired after 34 years with the State Department, Baily reflects, “Most of our biggest challenges are problems without passports, and we need to make sure young Americans are engaged in the world, especially as we come out of the pandemic.”
Like Baily, the club’s namesake espoused that philosophy. A 1908 graduate of St. Paul’s School, Winant rose to the rank of captain in the Army Air Corps during WWI. He was elected governor of New Hampshire in 1924 and later asked to lead the newly formed Social Security Board in 1935. Five years later, he was appointed ambassador to England by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and served during the Blitz of WWII.
As moderator of the Winant Society discussion, Sweet invited Baily and Alter to share their own biographical information with the group. The two men offered advice to those interested in pursuing paths related to foreign policy and relayed stories about their experiences working in the field. The conversation wrapped with a robust Q&A session. “Ambassador Baily was the perfect fit to help us learn about what it takes to be a global government and servant leader,” Sweet says.
The event sparked immediate intrigue within the student body as Sweet and McKenzie were approached by numerous under-formers about how to get involved, giving the now graduates hope that the society will thrive in the years to come. “I believe that the John Winant Society will be a place that unifies people,” Sweet reflects. “It will be a place where people learn, listen, and engage in meaningful conversations about what it means to serve and lead in government.”