John Tower
| John Tower | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board | |
|
In office July 17, 1990 – April 5, 1991 |
|
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Anne Armstrong |
| Succeeded by | Bobby Inman (Acting) |
| Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee | |
|
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1985 |
|
| Preceded by | John Stennis |
| Succeeded by | Barry Goldwater |
|
United States Senator from Texas |
|
|
In office June 15, 1961 – January 3, 1985 |
|
| Preceded by | Bill Blakley |
| Succeeded by | Phil Gramm |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Goodwin Tower September 29, 1925 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | April 5, 1991 (aged 65) Brunswick, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party |
Democratic (Before 1951) Republican (1951–1991) |
| Spouse(s) | Joza Bullington (1952–1976) Lilla Cummings (1977–1987) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education |
Southwestern University (BA) Southern Methodist University (MA) London School of Economics |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1943–1989 |
| Rank |
 Master chief petty officer
|
| Unit | United States Navy Reserve |
| Battles/wars |
World War II • Pacific Theater |
John Goodwin Tower (September 29, 1925 – April 5, 1991) was the first Republican United States senator from Texas since Reconstruction. He served from 1961 until his retirement on January 3, 1985, after which time he was appointed as the chairman of the Reagan-appointed Tower Commission that investigated the Iran-Contra Affair. He was George H. W. Bush's nominee for Secretary of Defense in 1989 but was rejected by the Senate, 53–47.
Tower was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Joe Z. Tower (1898–1970) and Beryl Tower (1898–1990). Joe was a Methodist, later United Methodist, minister, and John traveled wherever his father was named by the denominational conference to pastor a church. He attended public schools in East Texas and graduated in Beaumont, the seat of Jefferson County, in southeast Texas in the spring of 1942.
Tower was active in politics as a child; at the age of thirteen, he passed out handbills for the campaign of liberal Democrat and future U.S. Senator Ralph Yarborough while Yarborough was running unsuccessfully for state attorney general. Yarborough and Tower would later be paired as Texas's Senate delegation, though of opposing political perspectives. He entered Southwestern University in Georgetown (Williamson County near Austin) that same year and met future U.S. President and political opponent Lyndon Johnson on a campus visit while Johnson was the local congressman.
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