James Albert Smith "Jim" Leach is the John L. Weinberg Visiting Professor of Public and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University. On September 17, 2007, he was named the interim director of the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, a position he is expected to hold until a permanent director is located after the 2007-2008 academic year. Prior to joining the Princeton faculty, this American politician served 30 years as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. In Congress he chaired the Banking and Financial Services Committee, the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. He represented the 2nd district of Iowa in the state's east central and southeast area from 1976 to 2007 .