Walter DeVries

Walter DeVries (born November 13, 1929) is a political consultant, author, and founder of the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership. Jim Perry of the Wall Street Journal said this about his book The Ticket Splitter (1972): "DeVries and Tarrance, scholars who have worked in the political hedge rows, have brilliantly destroyed generations of conventional wisdom about how America votes and why they vote as they do. The Ticket-Splitter has opened new vistas in political research techniques and election strategies."

Biography

Walt DeVries was born in Holland, Michigan, in 1929. He was the oldest of seven sons of Dutch immigrants. He received a B.A. from Hope College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science and social psychology from Michigan State University. He enlisted in the 2nd Armored Division of the U.S. Army (1948–49) and was recalled to active duty as an Intelligence NCO with the Army Security Agency in Korea (1950-51).

DeVries was Director of Research & Strategy in George Romney's three successful campaigns for governor (1962, 1964 & 1966) and in his presidential campaign during 1967 but he resigned that position in November, 1967. He also served as Romney's Executive Assistant in the administration of the Michigan state government from 1962-1967.

From 1969 to 1972 Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan.

From 1973 to 1979 he was an Associate Professor in the Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs at Duke University.

In 1981 he was appointed an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

From 1969 through 1987 DeVries was the president of DeVries & Associates, Inc., a public relations, polling, media production and campaign consulting firm. His company conducted more than 350,000 in-the-home and telephone surveys with registered voters for political, commercial, governmental and media clients. He has served as a campaign consultant to presidential, U.S. Senate, gubernatorial, congressional, state legislative and referendum campaigns in 35 states and several countries. He served on the Wrightsville Beach Planning Board from 2011 to 2013.

DeVries has been writing and producing for television since 1960. De Vries and Associates, Inc., has written and produced full-length documentaries, mini-documentaries, special telecasts, PSA’s and commercials for public television, commercial television, cable networks and satellite systems.

Personal life

DeVries met Lois Cook while still in high school. They were married in September 1950, when DeVries was subsequently recalled for military duty in Korea. They have four sons: Michael Dale (1952), Robert Cook (1953), Steven Richard (1957), and Walter Dann (1962). DeVries, an avid sailor and longing to be near the ocean, moved the family from Michigan to Marblehead, MA and then ultimately south to the coastal town of Wrightsville Beach, NC in 1972.

Works

• The Ticket-Splitter: A New Force in American Politics 1972 Forward by: David S. Broder Co-Author: V. Lance Tarrance
• The Transformation of Southern Politics 1976 Co-Author: Jack Bass. David S. Broder of the Washington Post said the book was a "compelling story with insights on every page." Tom Wicker of the New York Times called it "definitive".
• Checked and Balanced: How Ticket-Splitters are Shaping the New Balance of Power in American Politics 1998 Co-Author: V. Lance Tarrance. Everett. C. Ladd of the Roper Center for Public Opinion said that Tarrance and De Vries "continue their leading work in this major new book—essential reading for all who want to understand the evolution of American politics."

Founder/member

• Delegate to Michigan Constitutional Convention to rewrite the Michigan Constitution. (1962)
• Fellow of the Institute of Politics in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. (1968-69)
• An original member of the International Association of Political Consultants. (1968).
• Co-founder and member of the American Association of Political Consultants (1969).

From the AAPC website:

The creation of political consultation as a separate career discipline has been a development of the middle 20th Century. As with most of politics, there is disagreement over when the "industry" began. Some call the California firms of Baus and Ross or Whittaker-Baxter, back in the 1930s, the founders of the field. Others credit people like Joe Napolitan, Clif White, Matt Reese, Bill Roberts, Stu Spencer, Joe Cerrell, Bill Hamilton, Bob Squier, Walter deVries and their peers as the first "true" political consultants. These political pioneers date back to the 50s.

• Founder - North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership (1987)

In January 1989, DeVries was appointed its Executive Director. The purpose of the program is to improve the quality of political leadership in North Carolina at the state and local levels. Each year, two classes of twenty Fellows—with outstanding leadership potential—are selected by the Institute's Board, and they spend ten weekends in a training program designed to make them familiar with the state's political and policy processes and campaign techniques. Over 1,500 Fellows have graduated from the Institute's hands-on program and serve in elective and appointive political and governmental positions. De Vries retired as IOPL Director in July, 2004.

Since 1991, the N.C. Institute of Political Leadership has helped start similar programs in Massachusetts, Michigan, Virginia, Ecuador and South Africa.

Awards

• Young Man of the Year Award (Grand Rapids Junior Chamber of Commerce) (1962)
• Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award (1998) one of North Carolina's highest honors, by Governor James B. Hunt, Jr.
• Lifetime Achievement Award (2010) North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership.