William Bennett (politician)
William John Bennett (born July 31, 1943 in Brooklyn , New York City ) is an American politician ( Republican ). In the Reagan administration , he headed the National Endowment for the Humanities from 1981 to 1985 and then served as US Secretary of Education from 1985 to 1988 . Under US President George Bush he was director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy .
Life
Bennett grew up in Washington , where he attended Gonzaga College High School . After graduating from Williams College , he received his PhD in Political Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin . He also holds a law degree from Harvard Law School . Between 1976 and 1981 he was the executive director of the National Humanities Center , a private research institute in North Carolina .
Bennett is married to Elayne Bennett , president of the Best Friends Foundation, a national youth abstinence program. He and his wife have two sons. His brother is Washington attorney Robert S. Bennett .
Political positions
Bennett tends to take conservative positions on affirmative action , education vouchers , curriculum reform , and religion in schools. As Secretary of Education in the Reagan Cabinet , he wanted colleges to be helpful in the anti-drug search, to provide classical education rooted in Western culture , and made fun of multicultural courses. He was a frequent critic of low educational standards in schools, and in 1988 called the Chicago public school system "the worst in the nation"
Betting games
In the spring of 2003 it was announced that Bennett was a gambler who had also risked large sums of money. According to reports, he lost millions of US dollars in Las Vegas .
Publications
- The Children's Book of Virtues
- America: The Last Best Hope (Volume I): From the Age of Discovery to a World at War (2006)
- Why We Fight: Moral Clarity and the War on Terrorism (2003)
- The Broken Hearth: Reversing the Moral Collapse of the American Family (2001)
- The Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton and the Assault on American Ideals (1998)
- Our Sacred Honor (1997, compilation of writings by the Founding Fathers)
- Body Count: Moral Poverty ... and How to Win America's War Against Crime and Drugs (1996)
- Moral Compass: Stories for a Life's Journey (1995)
- Editor: The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories (1993)
- The De-Valuing of America: The Fight for Our Culture and Our Children (1992)
Web links
- billbennett.com
- Bill Bennett on Media Matters
- William Bennett in the Miller Center of Public Affairs of the University of Virginia (English)
Individual evidence
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Bennett, William |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bennett, William John |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American politician (Republican) |
DATE OF BIRTH | July 31, 1943 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Brooklyn , New York City |