* Philip M. Stern; Democratic Party Activist, Author

Philip M. Stern, 66, a Democratic Party activist, author and philanthropist, noted for works criticizing congressional campaign financing, the federal tax code, the legal profession and the juxtaposition of poverty and luxury in the nation’s capital. Stern’s most recent book, “The Best Congress Money Can Buy,” was published in 1988 and discussed the influence of political action committees and their campaign contributions on Capitol Hill. Stern served in the John F. Kennedy Administration, was a campaign assistant to Democratic presidential nominee Adlai E. Stevenson, and worked as an aide to Rep. Henry M. Jackson and Sen. Paul H. Douglas. He was also director of research for the Democratic National Committee and director of the Stern Family Fund, which awards grants to organizations and individuals, including journalist Seymour M. Hersh for investigative reports of U.S. soldiers’ massacre of South Vietnamese civilians. In Washington on Monday of brain cancer.