Moynihan 's political career started in the 1950s , when he served as a member of New York Governor Averell Harriman 's staff in a variety of positions ( including speechwriter and acting secretary to the governor ) . This period ended following Harriman 's loss to Nelson Rockefeller in the 1958 general election . Moynihan returned to academia , serving as a lecturer for brief periods at Russell Sage College ( 1957 – 1958 ) and the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations ( 1959 ) before taking a tenure-track position at Syracuse University ( 1959 – 1961 ) . During this period , Moynihan was a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention as part of John F. Kennedy 's delegate pool
1960 Democratic National Convention
1960 Democratic National Convention
Daniel Patrick Moynihan