Robert Finch

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Robert Finch

Robert Hutchison Finch (born October 9, 1925 in Tempe , Arizona , †  October 10, 1995 in Pasadena , California ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ). He belonged to the cabinet of President Richard Nixon as health, education and welfare minister to.

Finch, whose father Robert L. Finch was also a politician and sat in the Arizona House of Representatives , served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II . After the war, he worked as an assistant to Congressman Norris Poulson ; During this time he made friends with Richard Nixon, whose political career began in Washington, DC .

After studying law at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles , he rejoined the Marine Corps and fought in the Korean War . Subsequently, Finch practiced as a lawyer for a few years before returning to Washington, where he joined the staff of Nixon, who had risen to become US Vice President . In 1960 he led his first election campaign for the presidency, which ended in the narrow defeat by John F. Kennedy .

In 1966, Robert Finch was elected lieutenant governor of California, receiving more votes than Ronald Reagan , who assumed the governor's office during the same election . In the 1968 presidential election , he served as an advisor to Richard Nixon's campaign team. Moreover, Finch was his first choice as a candidate for the vice presidency; however, he refused, after which Spiro Agnew became Nixon's running mate .

After the Republicans won the election, Finch was offered a position in Nixon's cabinet . He chose the Ministry of Health, Education and Welfare, which was the result of his longstanding interest in health and education issues. After just one year, he moved to the staff of the White House , to which he was an adviser to the President until 1973.

Finch then returned to California, where he worked as a lawyer in Pasadena. He also remained politically active and ran for a seat in the US Senate in 1976 , but was defeated in the primary elections of the Republicans S. I. Hayakawa .

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