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William Bennett

William BennettAKA William John Bennett

Born: 31-Jul-1943
Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY

Gender: Male
Religion: Roman Catholic
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Government, Author
Party Affiliation: Republican

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Former Drug Czar and gambling man

Bennett was President Ronald Reagan's chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He was appointed Drug Czar under George H.W. Bush, the first to hold this position. Bennett supports harshly penalizing small-possession drug offenders. During his 15 June 1989 appearance on Larry King Live, one caller outrageously suggested that he "behead the damn drug dealers." Bennett was hardly alarmed, and replied:

"I mean what the caller suggests is morally plausible. Legally, it's difficult. But somebody selling drugs to a kid? Morally, I don't have any problem with that at all."

He is partially responsible for making morality and personal responsibility a part of the national political debate. Many people find Bennett haughty and condescending, and the American media took great and evident pleasure in sanctimoniously condemning him after it was revealed that he enjoyed gambling: reports differ, but he lost $8 million within a period of either a year or ten years. Despite Bennett's huge gambling losses, his family has had no financial trouble. Bennett earns $50,000 per lecture engagement, and receives grants from the Saife and John M. Olin Foundations. He has been forced to give up gambling, though.

Incredibly, Bennett was once set up on a blind date with Janis Joplin.

Father: F. Robert Bennett
Mother: Nancy Walsh
Brother: Robert S. Bennett (attorney, b. 2-Aug-1939)
Wife: Mary Elayne Glover (m. 29-May-1982, two sons)
Son: John
Son: Joseph

    University: BA Philosophy, Williams College (1965)
    University: PhD Philosophy, University of Texas (1970)
    Law School: JD, Harvard Law School (1971)
    Professor: Boston University
    Professor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Professor: North Carolina State University

    Director of National Drug Control Policy (1989-91)
    US Secretary of Education (1985-88)
    National Endowment for the Humanities President (1981)
    American Council of Trustees and Alumni National Council
    Arlington Group
    Catholic Campaign for America Board Member
    Center for Security Policy
    Committee for a Free World
    Constituting America National Advisory Board
    Council for National Policy
    Empower America Director
    Family Research Council
    The Heritage Foundation
    Hudson Institute Fellow
    Jewish Policy Center Board of Fellows
    John Carroll Society Honorary Member
    John McCain 2008
    Kappa Alpha Society
    Libby Legal Defense Trust Advisory Committee
    Parents Television Council Celebrity Advisory Board
    Project for the New American Century
    Claremont Institute Washington Fellow
    FreedomWorks Senior Fellow
    Eagle Scout
    Crisis
    Draft Deferment: Vietnam
    Roast: Tim Russert (1993)
    Wedding: Rush Limbaugh and Marta Fitzgerald (1994)
    Endorsement of LegalZoom (2007)
    Risk Factors: Gambling, Obesity

Rotten Library Page:
William Bennett

Author of books:
Counting by Race: Equality from the Founding Fathers to Bakke and Weber (1979, with Terry Eastland)
Our Children and Our Country: Improving America's Schools and Affirming the Common Culture (1988)
Culture Wars: Reports from the Front (1992)
The De-Valuing of America: The Fight for Our Culture and Our Children (1992)
The Book of Virtues (1993)
The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators (1994)
Moral Compass: Stories for a Life's Journey (1995)
Our Sacred Honor: Words of Advice from the Founders in Stories, Letters, Poems, and Speeches (1997)
The Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton and the Assault on American Ideals (1998)
The Educated Child: A Parent's Guide (1999, with John T.E. Cribb and Chester E. Finn, Jr.)
The Broken Hearth: Reversing the Moral Collapse of the American Family (2001)
Why We Fight: Moral Clarity and the War on Terrorism (2003)
America: The Last Best Hope (2006, two volumes)
The American Patriot's Almanac (2009, with John T.E. Cribb)
A Century Turns: New Hopes, New Fears (2009)


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