Interview with Mr. Douglas Gansler

Text of the Full Interview Below:

For Mr. Douglas Gansler, effective change stems from honorable leadership and commitment to the community.

One of the key perspectives Doug took from his time at Sidwell was his appreciation for diversity. He appreciated the economic, political, racial, and religious diversity found among his many friends at the school. However, it was only after Sidwell that he grasped the full extent of how unique his experience was . At other places, he found that people remained in their own groups.

He also valued the strong sense of community at Sidwell. This understanding of the importance of community is a concept that has significantly helped him  throughout his political career. Doug played lacrosse at both Sidwell and Yale.

Sports were always very important to him because of the key role they played in his life. He cited his former teammates as some of his closest friends to this day. He credits his lacrosse experiences with having instilled in him discipline and teamwork. These qualities were invaluable as he began his work in public law.

Later, while serving as Attorney General of Maryland, he founded the Baltimore Charm City Youth Lacrosse League. The League provided free lacrosse training to underserved youth in the area . In the Baltimore Charm City Youth Lacrosse League, his passion for service and his love of sports aligned.

Mr. Gansler always viewed law and politics as hand in hand, but politics was his priority. Throughout his career, he has had several impactful experiences. He served as head of the NAACP criminal justice sector. He fought for same-sex marriage in Maryland. He was the president of the US Attorney General Association during the foreclosure crisis. He collected $36 billion for the people. Mr. Gansler is also very passionate about the environment, and he collaborated on civil rights work with the Obama campaign.

In addition to those experiences, he served as a prosecutor in the notable Tenesha Montigue case. She, a nineteen-year-old Jamaican woman, had left her newborn baby in the trash bin. Luckily, the baby's cries were heard by neighbors, and she was saved. Mr. Gansler decided to prosecute her. Although he faced public scrutiny, he did what he thought was right and continued to pursue a case against her. Ultimately, she was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder. This case led to the creation of Maryland’s Safe Haven law, which allows parents to safely surrender infants to hospitals. It has undoubtedly saved the lives of countless babies.

Before he served as the Attorney General of Maryland, Mr. Gansler served as the Attorney General of Montgomery County. In that capacity, he worked on the D.C. Beltway Snipers case, which he mentioned was very stressful for him. Yet when he brought them to justice in just twenty-two days, he found it deeply rewarding. Although he describes his state attorney job as more linear, he recognizes that a big part of both jobs is making tough judgments.

However, having the power of the law behind you is helpful, and Mr. Gansler said the politicalness of his job made it easier to “do the right thing, do it for the right reasons, and be able to articulate what those things are.” He added that if you can do those things, “you’ll never go astray.” He illustrates the importance of integrity and responsibility in leadership.

In reply to what he believed his greatest accomplishment to be, Mr. Gansler posited his two sons. He is very proud of the good people and good citizens he characterizes them as. He added that setting a good example for them was always a contributing factor in ensuring that he made principled decisions.

To Mr. Gansler, service means helping yourself feel like you are contributing and doing well because you feel good when you help others. This highlights that service is both outwardly significant and personally rewarding. Service creates a cycle of nourishing your own fulfillment by contributing to other people.