John Lehman | |
---|---|
United States Secretary of the Navy | |
In office February 5, 1981 – April 10, 1987 |
|
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Edward Hidalgo |
Succeeded by | Jim Webb |
Personal details | |
Born |
John Francis Lehman, Jr. September 14, 1942 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Alma mater |
Saint Joseph's University Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University of Pennsylvania |
John Francis Lehman, Jr. (born September 14, 1942) is an American investment banker and writer who served as Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration where he promoted the creation of a 600-ship Navy. From 2003 to 2004 he was a member of the 9/11 Commission.
Lehman currently serves on the National Security Advisory Council for the Center for Security Policy (CSP), and on the board of trustees for the think tank Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Lehman is also a member of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States and has signed some policy letters produced by the Project for the New American Century. He also served as an advisor to Sen. John McCain for the 2008 presidential race, and for Mitt Romney in his 2012 bid.
Lehman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Constance (Cruice) and John F. Lehman, Sr., an industrial engineer and decorated navy veteran. He graduated from La Salle College High School and received a B.S. in international relations from Saint Joseph's University in 1964, gained a B.A. and M.A. from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and went on to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
He is a first cousin, once removed, of the late Grace Kelly (Princess Grace of Monaco), and is Chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, a public charity established after Princess Grace's death to support emerging artists in film, dance, and theater. He led the American delegation to the funeral of Prince Rainier. He and his family live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and Manhattan. He is a long time Republican his most famous quote is, "Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat."