Caspar W. Weinberger

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Caspar W. Weinberger, described as "a conservative Republican and consummate Cold Warrior who served in the Cabinets of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan and got ensnared in the Iran-Contra scandal," died March 28, 2006, aged 88. [1]

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This article is part of the Tobacco portal on Sourcewatch funded from 2006 - 2009 by the American Legacy Foundation.

Profiles

According to his March 28, 2006, Associated Press profile, Weinberger was born August 18, 1917, in San Francisco, California.

Weinberger:

  • "began his political career in 1952 in the California Legislature, where he took on and cleaned up a corrupt state liquor commission."
  • "believed that budgets should always be balanced, first demonstrated his budget-trimming talents in the late 1960s when he helped solve California's budget problems as then-Gov. Reagan's finance director."
  • was recruited by Nixon in 1969 "to head the Federal Trade Commission, where as chairman ... then moved on to run the president's Office of Management and Budget in 1970."
  • "served as Nixon's secretary of health, education and welfare before returning to San Francisco in 1975 as special counsel to the Bechtel Corp., the huge worldwide construction company."
  • was "recalled to public service from Bechtel by Reagan."
  • while Reagan's Secretary of Defense: "federal felony charges stemming from his alleged role in the sale of weapons to Iran to finance secret, illegal aid to the Nicaragua Contras."
  • was "granted Christmas Eve pardons to Weinberger and five others accused in the scandal" by President George H.W. Bush, after he lost in 1992 to President Bill Clinton.
  • joined Forbes, Inc. in 1989 as the magazine's fourth publisher and was named chairman in 1993, "filling a position that had been vacant since the 1990 death of Malcolm S. Forbes. He endorsed Steve Forbes for president in 1996."

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