As a college student at Princeton in the late 1970's and early 1980's, Elena Kagan established herself as a committed academic and a passionate political thinker. She also occassionaly got drunk on vodka tonics, according to a look back at the potential Supreme Court nominee's college years in the Daily Princetonian newspaper.
Kagan, who is the current U.S. Solicitor General and is said to be on the short list to fill the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, is "very vital, very vivacious," according to Princeton history professor Sean Wilentz who advised Kagan on her senior thesis.
"She had a reserved side," Wilentz said in an interview with Daily Princetonian writer Ameena Schelling. "She's not the kind of person to go on 'Oprah.' But with those boundaries, she's just a delight to be with."
Kagan's thesis, by the way, was titled: "To the Final Conflict: Socialism in New York City, 1900-1933."
The White House is in the midst of a Supreme Court vetting process and President Obama is expected to announce his selection to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens next week.
Some interesting tidbits from the Daily Princetonian piece:
- Kagan got drunk on election night in 1980, drinking vodka and tonics and sobbing when she learned that Democrat Elizabeth Holtzman had lost her New York Senate race.