Max Baucus, former U.S. ambassador to China and long serving senator from Montana, will reflect on his life in public service in a lecture celebrating his return to Montana at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 in room 101 of Gaines Hall on the Montana State University campus.The lecture, sponsored by the Burton K. Wheeler Center at MSU, is free and open to the public. However, because space is limited, tickets are required. They may be reserved at: https://wheeler-center-max-baucus-lecture.eventbrite.com.

Baucus served as six terms as Montana’s U.S. senator, from 1978 until 2013, making him the state’s longest serving senator. While in the Senate, Baucus served on various committees, eventually becoming the ranking member and chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and vice-chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation. President Barack Obama appointed him as the U.S. Ambassador to China in 2013. He served in that post until January 2017. He is now retired and living near Bozeman. For nearly 40 years, the Burton K. Wheeler Center has worked to provide opportunities for Montanans to explore and engage in discussions about policy. Previous Wheeler Center lectures have featured Sally Jewell, John Snow, Lynn Cheney, Lawton Childs and Brian Schweitzer.