Former Iowa Senator John C. Culver ’54 will serve as the interim director of the Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School Dean David T. Ellwood ’75 announced in a statement yesterday.

Culver—who has been a member of the IOP’s Senior Advisory Committee since 1975 and has served as a chair of the committee for 14 years—will take over on July 1 when current IOP Director Bill Purcell steps down to begin working as an advisor on the University’s expansion into Allston.

The Kennedy School will finish organizing a committee to lead the search for Purcell’s permanent replacement this week, according to Ellwood. He said he expects that the new permanent director will not be chosen before the fall.

Culver, who is also a graduate of Harvard Law School, represented Iowa’s second district in Congress for five terms before serving as a Democratic Senator from 1975 to 1981. After leaving Congress, Culver was a Resident Fellow at the IOP during the spring of 1981. He has since served as a senior partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm Arent Fox.

His decades-long connection to the IOP, from his time as a Fellow to his long tenure on the Advisory Committee, will make this transition easier, according to IOP President P. Kenzie Bok ’11. Bok added that given the long-term nature of many IOP programs, Culver’s familiarity with these projects will allow for greater continuity.

“He comes in understanding completely what we do and how it affects the world,” Purcell said. “My sense is that he is in a position to lead from day one.”

Culver said in a statement that he has enjoyed his time on the Senior Advisory Committee and that he looks forward to working more closely with IOP students and staff as interim director. This deep interest in the work of the IOP will help Culver in his new role, according to Purcell.

“He loves this Institute, he loves this University, and he knows our students and the careers they’re thinking about better than anyone else,” Purcell said.

The IOP, along with the Phillips Brooks House Association, honored Culver’s dedication to the IOP last month through the creation of the John Culver Award for Service and Politics, which honors a graduating senior who has shown a dedication to both pursuits.

Culver’s own diverse public service experiences, from his time in Congress to his service in the U.S. Marine Corps, will bring a new perspective to the IOP, according to Bok.

“He’s had a very long and very successful career and he still remembers everything like it was just yesterday,” Bok said. “He talks about his career in public service in a way that inspires you to want to pursue that career yourself.”

“Senator Culver’s deep, long-standing connection to the IOP, combined with his many years of dedicated service on Capitol Hill, as a practicing attorney, and in the U.S. military makes him an excellent choice and a superb role model for students,” Ellwood said in a statement.

—Staff writer Stephanie B. Garlock can be reached at sgarlock@college.harvard.edu