About the Center
We build civic engagement and advance civil discourse to develop effective
public policy in Montana.
At The Wheeler Center, our vision includes: civil dialogue, rigorous exploration, addressing relevant issues, including diverse perspectives, collaboration and continuing to
be an honest facilitator.
Our History
Burton K. Wheeler
The Wheeler Center is named for the late Burton K. Wheeler, who earned fame as the “fighting progressive” U.S. Senator from Montana from 1923 – 1947. Starting his federal career as a U.S. Attorney in 1912, he crusaded against Montana’s powerful economic interests, standing up for, and as a champion of, farmers and miners. He first won election to the Senate representing the great state of Montana in 1922. There he made his name as one of the “Montana scandalmongers,” railing against corruption in the Harding and Coolidge administrations. He is best remembered for: breaking from his political party in an epic battle against President Franklin Roosevelt’s attempt to pack the Supreme Court; for his stance as a newly-minted Senator pushing for the Senate investigation of corruption in the Harding Administration’s Justice Department during the infamous Teapot Dome scandal; and for his lifelong defense of civil liberties and commitment to economic opportunity for all Montana citizens.
Wheeler was known as a genuine maverick bucking both parties in defense of what he thought was right, and was a “lifelong opponent of concentrated power—whether economic, military, or executive—he consistently acted with a righteous personal and political independence that has all but disappeared from the public sphere.” (University of Oklahoma Press) The Senator passed away in 1975, but his legacy – a commitment to informed political discourse and democracy – lives on at the Burton K. Wheeler Center.
Who We Are
About the Center
In 1975, the Greater Montana Foundation (GMF) sponsored the first Burton K. Wheeler Memorial Lecture. Ed Craney, pioneering Montana broadcaster and founder of the GMF, enlisted the support of the two eldest sons of Burton K., John and Edward, in producing the first lectures and in the expansion of the lecture series into a more formal public policy center. The Burton K. Wheeler Center was thus established at Montana State University (MSU) in 1988 under the guidance of historian and then-Academic Vice-President Michael Malone. In 1991, Dr. Malone asked Dr. Gordon Brittan, of the MSU philosophy faculty, to assume the Director’s role, a position he held until June 2008. He was succeeded by Dr. Ralph Johnson, Professor of Architecture at MSU, then in 2013, Dr. Eric Austin, Associate Professor of Political Science became the fourth Executive Director of the Wheeler Center. Since 2024 Dr. Scott M. Guenther has held the position of Executive Director.
Holding true to Senator Burton K. Wheeler’s belief that the informed discussion of public policy is the cornerstone of democracy, The Wheeler Center upholds this principle by hosting and promoting events that engage the public in thoughtful and rigorous conversations around the pressing issues and policies facing Montanans. The Center is the only educational forum in the state where issues that affect Montana and the region are taken up in a regular, systematic and rigorously non-partisan way. Although the Wheeler Center has a close working relationship with Montana State University, it is now an independent, non-profit organization, with its own board of directors. The Center depends entirely on private contributions for its programs and administration.
We invite you to explore the upcoming events, lectures, programs and conferences and consider becoming a part of this ongoing discourse.
Become a Friend of the Wheeler Center
The Wheeler Center is 100% privately funded and your donation will help carry on the legacy of Senator Wheeler. All contributions are tax deductible.