38 Facts About Caspar Weinberger

Caspar Willard Weinberger was an American politician and businessman.

Caspar Weinberger served as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and Director of the Office of Management and Budget under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Caspar Weinberger later became vice president and general counsel of Bechtel Corporation.

Caspar Weinberger promoted the Strategic Defense Initiative, an orbital weapons program.

Caspar Weinberger was awarded both the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan in 1987 and an honorary British knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.

Caspar Weinberger's father was of Jewish descent from Austria-Hungary, while his maternal grandparents were of Christian descent from Wisconsin.

Caspar Weinberger was raised in a home with no denominational ties, though with a socially Christian orientation.

Caspar Weinberger had stated that his mother's Episcopal religion was "an enormous influence and comfort all my life".

Caspar Weinberger was offered a scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge but instead attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1941 with a Bachelor of Laws.

Caspar Weinberger was sent to the Army's Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he was commissioned a second lieutenant.

Early in life, Caspar Weinberger developed an interest in politics and history, and, during the war years, a special admiration for Winston Churchill, whom he would later cite as an important influence in his life.

From 1945 to 1947, Caspar Weinberger was a law clerk for US circuit judge William Edwin Orr of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Caspar Weinberger then entered private practice at a San Francisco law firm.

In 1952, Caspar Weinberger entered the race for California's 21st State Assembly district in the San Francisco Bay area as a Republican at the persuasion of his wife, Jane Caspar Weinberger, who served as his campaign manager.

Caspar Weinberger won and was reelected in 1954 and 1956.

Caspar Weinberger unsuccessfully opposed the construction of the Embarcadero Freeway, saying it would ruin the view of the Bay and damage property values.

Caspar Weinberger felt vindicated when the freeway was removed after the 1989 earthquake.

Caspar Weinberger moved to Washington in January 1970 to become chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.

Caspar Weinberger is credited for having revitalized the FTC by enforcing consumer protection.

Caspar Weinberger subsequently served under President Richard Nixon as deputy director and director of the Office of Management and Budget and Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Caspar Weinberger was vying for Reagan to appoint him as Secretary of State but was given the position of Secretary of Defense instead.

Caspar Weinberger took the lead in implementing a rollback strategy against Soviet communism.

In 1984, journalist Nicholas Lemann interviewed Caspar Weinberger and summarized the strategy of the Reagan administration to roll back the Soviet Union:.

Caspar Weinberger shared Ronald Reagan's conviction that the Soviet Union posed a serious threat to the United States, and that the defense establishment needed to be modernized and strengthened.

Belying his nickname, at the Pentagon Caspar Weinberger became a vigorous advocate of Reagan's plan to increase the Department of Defense budget.

Caspar Weinberger's efforts created economic and military-industrial pressures that were associated with the beginning of Perestroika and the beginning of the end of both the Cold War and the Soviet Union.

Caspar Weinberger pushed for dramatic increases in the United States' nuclear funding, and was a strong advocate of the controversial SDI, an initiative which proposed a space- and ground-based missile defense shield.

Caspar Weinberger was reluctant to commit the armed forces, keeping only a token force of American marines in Lebanon that then became victims in the October 1983 Beirut barracks bombing.

Caspar Weinberger resigned as Secretary of Defense on November 6,1987.

On June 17,1992, Caspar Weinberger was indicted on five felony charges related to the Iran-contra affair, including accusations that he had lied to Congress and obstructed Government investigations.

Caspar Weinberger had been Secretary of Defense for six years and ten months, longer than anyone except for Robert McNamara and more recently Donald Rumsfeld.

In 1996, Caspar Weinberger co-authored a book entitled The Next War, which raised questions about the adequacy of US military capabilities following the end of the Cold War.

Caspar Weinberger was a member of the Founding Council of the Rothermere American Institute at the University of Oxford and a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh.

In 1942, Caspar Weinberger married the former Rebecca Jane Dalton.

Caspar Weinberger was survived by his wife, their two children, and several grandchildren.

Caspar Weinberger was an American statesman and a dedicated public servant.

Caspar Weinberger wore the uniform in World War II, held elected office, and served in the cabinets of three Presidents.

Caspar Weinberger left the United States armed forces stronger, our country safer and the world more free.