Claude Brinegar

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Claude Brinegar

Claude Stout Brinegar (born December 16, 1926 in Rockport , California , †  March 13, 2009 in Palo Alto , California) was an American businessman and politician who served as Minister of Transportation under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford .

Career

Claude Brinegar served in the US Air Force from 1945 to 1947 and then began studying at Stanford University . He graduated in 1950 as a Bachelor in Economics , in 1951 as a Master in Mathematics and Statistics and in 1953 as a Ph.D. in economic research. At Stanford he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa student community . During his studies he worked, among other things, as a research assistant at the Food Research Institute in Stanford and as an economic consultant for the Emporium-Capwell Corporation in San Francisco .

In 1953, Brinegar accepted a position as a business analyst with the Union Oil Company . He rose steadily in this company until he was elected Vice President in 1965. After the merger with the Pure Oil Company in the same year, he took over the presidency of the Pure Oil company segment. He later served on the Union Oil Board of Directors .

Richard Nixon appointed Brinegar to his cabinet on February 2, 1973 to succeed Transport Secretary John Volpe . After Nixon's resignation, he initially held the post under his successor Gerald Ford. The 1973 oil crisis fell during Brinegar's tenure. He suggested reforms necessitated by the collapse of several railroad companies in the northeastern United States, and tried to revitalize the Federal Highway Program . He resigned on February 1, 1975 after President Ford announced that he would seek re-election. Brinegar only wanted to remain in the cabinet until the end of his term in office and now opened the way ahead of time for his successor, William Thaddeus Coleman .

Brinegar returned to Union Oil. In 1980 he was once again active in politics when he headed the Republican transition team in the Department of Transport after the election of Ronald Reagan . After resigning from the oil company, which has now become Unocal , he was still active on the board of directors of the Conrail railway company .

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personal data
SURNAME Brinegar, Claude
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brinegar, Claude Stout
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH December 16, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Rockport , California
DATE OF DEATH March 13, 2009
Place of death Palo Alto , California