Chris Matthews of MSNBC'S "Hardball" to Speak at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Chris Matthews, anchor of "Hardball with Chris Matthews" on MSNBC, will deliver the Hanify-Howland lecture at Holy Cross on Wednesday, April 5, at 8 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Hogan Campus Center.  The title of his talk is, "Freedom."  The lecture is free and open to the public.

Matthews, a 1967 graduate of Holy Cross, takes a provocative look at the politicians and newsmakers from the business, entertainment and media arenas that have helped shape the country's political and social landscape.  "Hardball" airs on both MSNBC and CNBC.

In addition to hosting the program, Matthews appears on the "Today" show as a political contributor and is a substitute host for NBC's weekend "Today."  Concurrently, Matthews is the Washington Bureau Chief for the San Francisco Examiner and a nationally syndicated columnist since 1987.

Matthews is also the author of two best-selling books.  "Hardball" (Harper Collins), a practical political handbook released in 1988, has become assigned reading at colleges and high schools throughout the country.  "Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry That Shaped Post-War America" (Simon & Schuster, 1996), chronicles the early friendship and rivalry between these two political giants.  The A&E network produced a one-hour documentary based on the book.

Matthews worked as a speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter and was a long-time top aide to House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr.

The annual Hanify-Howland Lecture Series honors the late Edward F. Hanify, a 1904 Holy Cross graduate and a Massachusetts Superior Court justice for 15 years, who died in 1954.  The series was started by Hanify's friend, the late Weston Howland of Milton, Mass., a board chairman of Warwick Mills, Inc., who died in 1976.