Retired CSULB President and Congressman Steve Horn Dies at 79

Former Congressman and CSULB President Steve Horn died of Alzheimer's Disease complications today at his home, his family said. Services will be private but a public memorial will be planned for the future, they said. Horn was 79.

Horn's funeral service will be private.

His son, Steve Horn, Jr., said that for those interested, the family requests that any donations be made to the University Library, California State University, Long Beach, c/o CSULB Foundation, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840.

Horn was elected in 1993 to the 38th Congressional District, which his son described as "the most Democratic district in California (and one of the most Democratic in the country) to be served by a Republican." The District includes most of Long Beach and Lakewood, and small parts of Signal Hill, San Pedro including the Port of Los Angeles, Bellflower, Downey and Paramount.

Low-key and civilized, Horn's former Congressional District is now served by the more blunt Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach).

From 1970 to 1988, Horn was president of Cal State Long Beach during surging growth; it is now the most populous of the Cal State campuses. 

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Nini Moore Horn, their two children, Steve, Jr., and daughter Marcia Horn, and grandson Jonathan Horn.

A biography from the family follows below:

Steve Horn represented the 38th District of California in the United States Congress from
1993 to 2003.

He chaired (1995-2002) the Subcommittee on Government Management of the
Committee on Government Reform and led a major effort to improve the management
and financial practices of the federal government that saved billions of taxpayer dollars.
Known for his bipartisan approach to issues, he focused on balancing the budget,
reforming campaign finance, and increasing funding for the arts, humanities, and
sciences. He created and led the bipartisan coalitions in Congress that secured funding
for the C-17 Airlift program, the Alameda Corridor, the Los Angeles River flood control
project, and major projects at CSULB and other educational institutions.

Steve Horn was President of California State University, Long Beach from 1970 to 1988,
a time of tremendous growth for the university. He strengthened existing academic
programs, reformed the General Education requirements, and created innovative
programs including the student internship program, faculty development, student learning
assistance, the senior citizen program, the Disabled Student Resources Center, and the
Honors program.

His fellow college presidents recognized his leadership by electing him Chairman of the
American Association of State Colleges and Universities in 1985, and he was cited as one
of the 100 most effective college presidents in the country in a 1986 national study.

Among the buildings Horn established were Social Science/Public Affairs, Student
Services Administration, Engineering/Computer Science, Business, Industrial
Technology, Microbiology, Music, the International Houses, and the Parkside Residence
Halls.

Horn was also active in the community. Among many positions, he chaired a regional

United Way campaign, was a Founding Member and Secretary of the Long Beach
Economic Development Corporation and the Long Beach Economic Development
Commission (the two groups that began the economic renaissance of Long Beach in
the 1970s), Vice Chair of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, and Member of the
Mayor’s Task Force to save the Long Beach Symphony.

Horn was married for 57 years to Nini Moore Horn. They have two children, Marcia
Horn and Steve Horn, Jr., and one grandson, Jonathan Horn.

In May 2003, CSULB honored both Horns for their long service to the campus with the
naming of the Steve and Nini Horn Center.

Horn was born on May 31, 1931 and raised in San Juan Bautista, California. He
received his Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University in 1953, his Master of Public
Administration from Harvard in 1955, and his Ph.D. from Stanford in 1958.

Among other biographical highlights:

Author of three books on Congress:

The Cabinet and Congress (Columbia University Press, 1960).

Unused Power: The Work of the Senate Committee on Appropriations

(The Brookings Institution, 1970).

Congressional Ethics: The View From The House (co-author with Edmund

Beard, The Brookings Institution, 1975).

Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, American University, Washington, D.C., 1969-1970.

Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, 1966–1969.

Legislative Assistant to the Deputy Republican Leader (Whip) of the U. S. Senate,
Thomas H. Kuchel, 1960–1966, where he worked on major legislation including the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Medicare.

Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of Labor James P. Mitchell, 1959–1960.

U. S. Army Reserve (Strategic Intelligence), 1954-1962. Specialist-7.

Among his major part-time positions were:

Vice Chairman (1969-1980) and Member (1969-1982), United States
Commission on Civil Rights. Appointed by President Nixon and served during
the Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations.

Founding Member (1972-1988) and Chairman (1985-1987), Advisory Board of
the National Institute of Corrections. Served under nine U.S. Attorney Generals
working on major issues of corrections and law enforcement.

Chairman, American Association of State Colleges and Universities (1985-1986);
also was Chairman of AASCU's Committee on Federal Relations for six years.

Senior Consultant and Host of a 40-part television series—The Government
Story—produced by Westinghouse (1967-1968), including 20 one-half hour
shows on Congress, 15 on the executive branch, and five on the judiciary.

Fellow, Institute of Politics, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
University. Elected as one of the first 10 Fellows. Taught course on "The Future
of the Republican Party" (1966-1967).

Fellow, of the 300-member National Academy of Public Administration. Elected
1986.

Member, Board of Directors American Council on Education (a coordinating body
representing all higher education in the United States, 1974-1977, 1985-1988).

Cited in a national study of university presidents as "one of the 100 most
effective college presidents in the United States" (EXXON Education Foundation
sponsored study, 1986).