Caspar Weinberger | |
---|---|
United States Secretary of Defense | |
In office January 21, 1981 – November 23, 1987 |
|
President | Ronald Reagan |
Deputy |
Frank Carlucci Paul Thayer William Taft |
Preceded by | Harold Brown |
Succeeded by | Frank Carlucci |
United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare | |
In office February 12, 1973 – August 8, 1975 |
|
President |
Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
Preceded by | Elliot Richardson |
Succeeded by | David Mathews |
Director of the Office of Management and Budget | |
In office June 12, 1972 – February 1, 1973 |
|
President | Richard Nixon |
Preceded by | George Shultz |
Succeeded by | Roy Ash |
Chair of the Federal Trade Commission | |
In office December 31, 1969 – August 6, 1970 |
|
President | Richard Nixon |
Preceded by | Paul Dixon |
Succeeded by | Miles Kirkpatrick |
Chair of the California Republican Party | |
In office 1962–1964 |
|
Preceded by | John Krehbiel |
Succeeded by | Gaylord Parkinson |
Personal details | |
Born |
Caspar Willard Weinberger August 18, 1917 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Died | March 28, 2006 Bangor, Maine, U.S. |
(aged 88)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Jane Dalton (1942–2006) |
Children | 2 |
Education | Harvard University (BA, LLB) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1941–1945 |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | 41st Infantry Division |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Caspar Willard "Cap" Weinberger (August 18, 1917 – March 28, 2006) was an American politician and businessman. As a prominent Republican, he served in a variety of state and federal positions for three decades, including Chairman of the California Republican Party, 1962–68. Most notably he was Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1987.
Weinberger was born in San Francisco, California. He served in the 41st Infantry Division in the Pacific theater of World War II. His entry into politics was as a California State Assemblyman from 1953 to 1959, and he would go on to serve as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and Director of the Office of Management and Budget under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. An accomplished private sector businessman, he later became vice president and general counsel of Bechtel Corporation, and still later Chairman of Forbes magazine.
His tenure as Secretary of Defense is the third longest in U.S. history, and spanned the final years of the Cold War. He is also known for his key role in the administration's Strategic Defense Initiative and for being indicted in the Iran–Contra affair. He was awarded both the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1987 and an honorary British knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.