Height was a civil rights activist and president of the National Council of Negro Women for four decades. Born in Richmond and educated at New York University, she organized a series of interfaith, interracial conversations in the 1960s between northern and southern women called "Wednesdays in Mississippi."

Sorenson was a counselor and speechwriter for President John F. Kennedy. He was also a mentor to international leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Anwar Sadat. One of Sorenson's most famous speeches was Kennedy's 1961 inaugural address, for which he wrote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Edwards was a lawyer, health care advocate, and the wife of former U.S. Senator of North Carolina, John Edwards. She was a close advisor during her husband's quest for the 2008 presidential nomination and grappled publicly with cancer and her husband's infidelity.

Franks served as a state legislator in New Jersey and as a U.S. Representative for nearly four terms. He was also a Republican strategist credited with engineering the resurgence of the GOP in New Jersey and served twice as the state's chairman of the Republican party.

Senator Byrd was the longest serving Senator in U.S. history, representing West Virginia for nearly 52 years. He was a master of the Senate process, known for directing federal funds to his home state and for carrying a copy of the Constitution in his pocket.

Trepp was the last surviving German-born Rabbi to witness the Holocaust. He was a respected author, scholor and promotor of interfaith understanding.

Rostenkowski represented the state of Illinois in Congress for 36 years. He helped write legislation that became Medicare in 1966 and was a central figure in shaping Congressional tax policy. Near the end of his career, he pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud and went to prison. He was later pardoned by President Clinton.

Stevens was a long-time U.S. Republican Senator of Alaska. He began his career before Alaska had statehood and ended his four-decade career in 2008 as the longest serving GOP Senator. He lost his seat in 2008 after he was convicted of accepting bribes from a powerful oil contractor in Alaska.

Haddock, known as "Granny D," spent 14 months walking from California to Washington at the age of 88 to advocate for campaign finance reform. She was 100 years old when she died.

Haig was an accomplished Army General and an advisor to three Presidents. He served as Secretary of State under Ronald Regan and was White House Chief of Staff under President Nixon.

Rep. Murtha was a Democrat from an economically devestated southwestern Pennsylvania. He was known for his mastery of the budget process to funnel money back to his district. He was a staunch defender of military spending and a right-hand man for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Zinn was an historian, author and political activist known for challenging the status quo. He was an early opponent of the U.S. War in Vietnam and his book, A People's History of the United States inspired a re-thinking of the American history textbook.

Obledo was a lawyer, civil rights activist and co-founder of the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund and various other major Hispanic-American organizations. The son of Mexican immigrants, he was also the first Latino to lead a state agency in California.

Holbrooke was a veteran diplomat and the Obama administration's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan. He was a diplomatic troubleshooter who worked with every Democratic president since the 1960's. He also helped broker the peace accord that ended the war in Bosnia.

Hooks was a lawyer, Baptist minister and civil rights activist. He was long time director of the NAACP and led lunch counter sit-ins in the south during the civil rights movement. Hooks became the first black judge to serve in TN state court post-Reconstruction and he was the first black member of the Federal Communications Commission where he advocated for minority ownership of TV and radio.

Holm was the first female general in the Air Force and the first woman to become a two-star general in any U.S. armed service. She worked throughout her career to increase gender equity in the military and credited the women's revolution with her own professional success. Until she became a general, Air Force regulations restricted women to a rank no higher than full colonel.

Mosbacher was a Texas oilman who successfully promoted the North American Free Trade Agreement as Commerce Secretary under George H. W. Bush. He served as chief fundraiser for five Republican presidents and first came to politics in 1976 when he was named finance co-chairman for the Republican Party.

Johnston was a columnist for The Village Voice, an author, cultural critic and feminist. She was an early leader in the gay rights movement. Her book, Lesbian Nation: The Feminist Solution was known for spearheading the lesbian separatist movement in the 1970's.

Hohri was a prisoner in the World War II internment camps for Japanese-Americans and became an advocate for his fellow internees. He was the lead plaintiff in a politically charged, yet unsuccessful class action law suit on their behalf and pushed for the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, a public apology from the U.S. government to Japanese Americans.

Myers was an actuary who helped create the Social Security program under the Roosevelt administration. He was also responsible for setting the retirement age at 65. He served as Social Security's chief actuary from 1947 to 1970.

Wilson was a former 12-term Texas Congressman who pushed the covert operation that helped Afghan rebels defeat the Soviets. His nickname on Capitol Hill was "Good Time Charlie" and he was considered a political lightweight until he funnelled money to the Afghan cause.