Les Aspin
| Les Aspin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board | |
|
In office May 26, 1994 – May 21, 1995 |
|
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | William Crowe |
| Succeeded by | Warren Rudman (Acting) |
| 18th United States Secretary of Defense | |
|
In office January 21, 1993 – February 3, 1994 |
|
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Deputy | William Perry |
| Preceded by | Dick Cheney |
| Succeeded by | William Perry |
| Chair of the House Armed Services Committee | |
|
In office January 3, 1985 – January 20, 1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Melvin Price |
| Succeeded by | Ron Dellums |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 1st district |
|
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In office January 3, 1971 – January 20, 1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Henry Schadeberg |
| Succeeded by | Peter Barca |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Leslie Aspin, Jr. July 21, 1938 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | May 21, 1995 (aged 56) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Maureen Shea (1969–1979) |
| Education |
Yale University (BA) University of Oxford (MA) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PhD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1966–1968 |
| Rank |
 Captain
|
Leslie "Les" Aspin, Jr. (July 21, 1938 – May 21, 1995) was a United States Representative from 1971 to 1993, and the United States Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton from January 21, 1993 to February 3, 1994. In Congress, Aspin had a reputation as an intellectual who took a middle-of-the-road position on controversial issues. He supported the Reagan administration regarding the MX missile and aid to the Nicaraguan Contras, but he opposed the B-2 bomber and the Strategic Defense Initiative. He played a major role in convincing the House to support the January 1991 resolution supporting the use of force by President G.H.W. Bush against Iraq, after it invaded Kuwait. As Secretary of Defense, he faced complex social issues, such as the roles of homosexuals in uniform, and of women in combat. He faced major decisions regarding the use of military force in Somalia, Bosnia, and Haiti. He proposed budget cuts and restructuring of forces as part of the downsizing of the military after the end of the Cold War. The loss of American lives in Somalia because of inadequate military support led to his resignation.
Aspin was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He graduated from Shorewood High School. He attended Yale University, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity, and graduated summa cum laude in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. In 1962, Aspin received his Master of Arts in economics from Oxford University and his Ph.D in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1966.
Aspin met his wife, Maureen Shea, in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Shea, a graduate of Hollins College, was working for a research firm interviewing Vietcong defectors when the two were introduced by a mutual acquaintance. After the project was completed she moved to Wisconsin to work on Aspin's unsuccessful bid for Wisconsin State Treasurer in 1968. The couple became engaged in October 1968 and married in January 1969 in Shea's hometown of Hillsdale, New York. The couple divorced in 1979 and had no children.
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