Candidacy and Philanthropy
Iacocca as Candidate
On more than one occasion, supporters attempted to persuade Lee Iacocca to run for public office.
On the first occasion, Iacocca was identified as a leading candidate for the United States Presidency. Enthusiastic supporters formed a committee in 1986 to draft Iacocca for the Democratic presidential nomination for 1988. Iacocca declined the draft movement. However, in subsequent interviews he has indicated he thought briefly about running for president.
On the second occasion, he was visited in Detroit by Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey, who encouraged him to fill the seat vacated by the sudden death of Senator H. John Heinz III, who died in a plane crash. In 1991, Iacocca, an Allentown native, was said to have considered the appointment to the U.S. Senate, but declined after consultation with family, friends, and business associates.
Iacocca has remained politically active in recent years, publicly supporting presidential candidates. He has been vocal on the subject of leadership as well, writing the book Where Have All the Leaders Gone? In it, he analyzes the qualities presidential candidates should possess.
Iacocca: Support for Diabetes Research
Lee Iacocca, a generous philanthropist, has supported a number of causes throughout his life. Most notable among these is his commitment to supporting diabetes research. In 1981, Lee and Mary Iacocca established the Mary K. Iacocca Research Fellowship at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. This endowed Fellowship is considered one of the most important research programs at the Joslin, as it enables promising young researchers to continue their work on the causes, prevention, and cure of diabetes.
Lee Iacocca established The Iacocca Family Foundation in 1984 in honor of his late wife, Mary K. Iacocca, who died from complications of type 1 diabetes. The Foundation funds innovative diabetes research programs and projects leading to a cure for the disease and to alleviate complications caused by it. Since its creation, the Foundation has funded more than $30 million in research projects.
Lee A. Iacocca. Joslin Diabetes Center Luncheon, Committee for Corporate Support Luncheon, New York, New York. October 21, 1981.
For over 50 years, Lee Iacocca has been a strong proponent of diabetes research, having lost his wife Mary to this disease. He has supported the Joslin Diabetes Center, a teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, through the establishment of The Iacocca Foundation to fund diabetes research. It should be noted that Iacocca also donated the proceeds from his book, Iacocca: An Autobiography written with William Novak in 1984, to the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.