Caspar Weinberger

Caspar Weinberger
Weinberger in the 1980s
15th United States Secretary of Defense
In office January 21, 1981 – November 23, 1987
President	Ronald Reagan
Deputy	Frank Carlucci W. Paul Thayer William Taft IV
Preceded by	Harold Brown
Succeeded by	Frank Carlucci
10th United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
In office February 12, 1973 – August 8, 1975
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Elliot Richardson
Succeeded by	F. David Mathews
20th Director of the Office of Management and Budget
In office June 12, 1972 – February 1, 1973
President	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	George Shultz
Succeeded by	Roy Ash
Chair of the Federal Trade Commission
In office December 31, 1969 – August 6, 1970
President	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	Paul Dixon
Succeeded by	Miles Kirkpatrick
Director of the California Department of Finance
In office March 1, 1968 – December 31, 1969
Governor	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Gordon P. Smith
Succeeded by	Verne Orr
Chair of the California Republican Party
In office 1962–1964
Preceded by	John Krehbiel
Succeeded by	Gaylord Parkinson
Member of the California State Assembly from the 21st district
In office January 5, 1953 – January 5, 1959
Preceded by	Arthur H. Connolly Jr.
Succeeded by	Milton Marks
Personal details
Born	Caspar Willard Weinberger (1917-08-18)August 18, 1917 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	March 28, 2006(2006-03-28) (aged 88) Bangor, Maine, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Jane Dalton ​ (m. 1942)​
Children	2
Education	Harvard University (BA, LLB)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1941–1945
Rank	Captain
Unit	41st Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War II

Caspar Willard Weinberger (August 18, 1917 – March 28, 2006) was an American politician and businessman. As a Republican, he served in a variety of state and federal positions for three decades, most notably as Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan from January 1981 to November 1987.^[1] He was indicted on charges of lying to Congress and obstructing government investigations as part of the Iran–Contra investigation, but was pardoned by President George H. W. Bush before facing trial.

Weinberger was a member of the California State Assembly from 1953 to 1959. He also served as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and Director of the Office of Management and Budget under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He later became vice president and general counsel of Bechtel Corporation.

Weinberger's tenure as Secretary of Defense was marked by his hard line against the Soviet Union, in disagreement with the State Department. He promoted the Strategic Defense Initiative, an orbital weapons program. Weinberger was awarded both the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan in 1987 and an honorary British knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. In 1993, he became Chairman of Forbes magazine.