David Gergen speaking at the World Economic Forum in 2008. (Photo via Creative Commons/Wikimedia by Robert Scoble)

THE TRIBUTES BEGAN pouring in the moment the news broke: David Gergen—advisor to four presidents, Harvard professor, political commentator, public intellectual—had passed away. And rightfully so. He was a man whose career traced the arc of American political life for the past half-century, someone who stood at the elbows of power in moments that defined the nation. 

But those obituaries, however rich and admiring, miss something essential. They chronicle his proximity to power but overlook one of the most powerful things about him: David Gergen never believed that public service was only for the elite, the famous, or the already powerful. He believed it was for everyone. And he lived that belief in the most generous, human ways—far from the marble halls and green rooms where he so often walked. 

I knew of David Gergen long before I ever met him. He was one of those names—like “Kissinger” or “Carville”—that signified a proximity to the presidency. But I met a very different David in 2012 when I was launching New Politics, an organization committed to recruiting servant leaders—veterans, AmeriCorps alumni, Peace Corps volunteers—into politics.  

When I was first introduced to him, we had no major funders, no track record, no brand. Just a belief that service should be a qualification for holding political power, and a hope that we could help reshape American politics around that idea. 

It’s not often that someone like David Gergen takes a chance on someone like me. But he did. He was the very first person who believed in our vision—before it was safe to do so. And he didn’t just encourage it from a distance. He got in the weeds.  

He offered counsel, opened doors, and lent his name. And in our first conversation, after I outlined my vision of recruiting those who had performed service work into politics, he said: “You should call Seth Moulton.” 

At the time, Moulton was a decorated Marine veteran and former graduate student of David’s. Gergen saw in him what he always looked for in potential leaders—not polish, not pedigree, but character. Integrity. Service. Purpose.  

Seth would go on to become our first New Politics recruit. He would win his congressional race, in 2014, and later credit Gergen as one of the people who shaped his path into public life. That story played out again and again. Behind so many public servants today is a quiet conversation with David Gergen—encouraging them to step up, helping them believe they belonged. 

David mentored a generation of young leaders, not because it burnished his resume, but because he genuinely believed in passing the torch. He invited me once to speak at his famous class at Harvard’s Kennedy School—Leadership and Public Service.  

David taught that class, not like a lofty theorist, but like a coach at the blackboard. He didn’t just teach ideas—he inspired idealism. Students left his classroom believing that politics didn’t have to be broken, that they could be part of the solution. 

I often wonder how many changemakers, candidates, and civic entrepreneurs were quietly emboldened by a word or gesture from him. I know I was. And I know I wasn’t alone. 

David was one of the best talent scouts I’ve ever known. I would regularly get emails from him urging me to connect with “an amazing student”—and he was always right. Several years ago, he wrote, “Emily, meet Phillip Jones. He’s in grad school here and you need to get coffee.” We did.  

Today, Phillip is the mayor of Newport News, Virginia, and a rising star in the Democratic Party. 

A significant number of New Politics candidates came our way because David saw their potential before anyone else did. 

We tend to revere public figures for what they did in power, but with David, I think the more enduring legacy might be what he did with his influence. He didn’t hoard it. He used it to lift up others. 

That is, in many ways, the story of New Politics. We’ve now helped elect nearly 200 servant leaders to office—from Congress to school boards. Our work has grown in scope and scale, but it still rests on that original foundation of belief—that service matters, that courage and integrity are non-negotiable, that leadership should be about putting others first.  

Those values animated David’s life. And in a very real way, they animate ours because of him. 

David showed up for people, for ideas, for democracy itself. And he did so with wisdom and a fierce belief that we could do better. 

In this moment when public life often feels small and cynical, when politics feels performative rather than principled, David Gergen’s life reminds us of what leadership can look like: curious, humble, grounded in service. 

His legacy will be measured not only in the presidents he advised but in the young leaders he mentored, the organizations he helped launch, and the ideals he carried forward.  

We lost a giant last week. But more than that, we lost a good man. And for those of us who were lucky enough to be guided by him, the only fitting tribute is to keep building the better politics he believed was still possible. 

Emily Cherniak is the founder and executive director of New Politics.