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John Gardner | |
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| 6thUnited States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare | |
| In office August 18, 1965 – March 1, 1968 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Anthony J. Celebrezze |
| Succeeded by | Wilbur J. Cohen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John William Gardner (1912-10-08)October 8, 1912 Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Died | February 16, 2002(2002-02-16) (aged 89) Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | San Francisco National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Aida Gardner |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) University of California, Berkeley (MA,PhD) |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom (1964) Public Welfare Medal (1966) |
John William Gardner (October 8, 1912 – February 16, 2002) wasSecretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) underPresidentLyndon Johnson. He was a strong advocate for citizen participation and foundedCommon Cause; he became known as "the father of campaign finance reform".[1][2]
A native ofCalifornia, Gardner attendedStanford University. As an undergrad he set several swimming records and won a number of Pacific Coast championships, and graduated "with great distinction." After earning a Ph.D. in psychology at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, in 1938, Dr. Gardner taught atConnecticut College and atMount Holyoke.
During the early days of World War II he was chief of the Latin American Section, Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service. He subsequently entered theUnited States Marine Corps and was assigned to theO.S.S., serving in Italy and Austria.
Gardner joined the staff of theCarnegie Corporation of New York in 1946, and in 1955 he became president of that group, and concurrently, theCarnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.[3] He also served as an advisor to the U.S. delegation to theUnited Nations and as a consultant to the U.S. Air Force, which awarded him the Exceptional Service Award in 1956.
Gardner was a trustee of theMetropolitan Museum of Art and of theEducational Testing Service and a director of theWoodrow Wilson Foundation. He served as chairman of theRockefeller Brothers Fund Panel on Education, and was chief draftsman of that group's widely circulated report,The Pursuit of Excellence.
Gardner authored books on improvingleadership in American society and other subjects. He was also the founder of two prestigious fellowship programs, TheWhite House Fellows andThe John Gardner Fellowship atStanford University andU.C. Berkeley. He received thePresidential Medal of Freedom in 1964. In 1966 Gardner was awarded thePublic Welfare Medal from theNational Academy of Sciences.[4]
Gardner's term as Secretary of HEW was at the height of Johnson'sGreat Society domestic agenda. During this tenure, the department undertook both the huge task of launchingMedicare, which brought quality health care to senior citizens, and oversaw significant expansions of the landmarkElementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 that redefined the federal role in education and targeted funding to poor students. Gardner resigned as head of HEW because he could not support the war in Vietnam.[5]
Gardner was featured on the cover and in an article of the January 20, 1967Time magazine, and later that year also presided over the creation of theCorporation for Public Broadcasting.
Gardner later served on the Stanford University Board of Trustees from 1968 to 1982. On August 18, 1970, Gardner foundedCommon Cause,[6][7] and also founded theExperience Corps in the same year.[8]
In 1973, he received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, an award given out annually byJefferson Awards.[9] In 1980–1983 he co-foundedIndependent Sector, which lobbies and doespublic relations work on behalf of tax-exempt organizations in order to retain the charitable deduction.
In September 2000, Gardner lent his name and support to the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities[10] at Stanford University, a center that partners with communities to develop leadership, conduct research, and effect change to improve the lives of youth.
Gardner died of cancer inSan Francisco on February 16, 2002. He was buried in San Francisco National Cemetery.
The John Gardner Fellowship Program[12] was established in 1985 byStanford University and theUniversity of California, Berkeley to honor Gardner.[13] The fellowship encourages highly motivated graduating seniors to pursue careers in public and community service.[14] Three fellows from each university are chosen annually and provided with placement assistance and a senior mentor in their placement organization. Past placements have included theWhite House, theUnited States Department of State, and various nonprofit organizations.
Initial funding for the fellowship was provided by the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, theCarnegie Corporation of New York, the Educational Foundation of America, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the UC Berkeley Chancellor's Millennium Fund, and Michael Walsh. Over time, additional supporters have contributed to the program.
The John Gardner Fellowship Association is an association of John Gardner Fellowship alumni from both Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, whose mission is to carry on Gardner's legacy of public service and ensure that the Fellowship programs at both schools have adequate resources for success.
Notable former fellows include Gary Rosen, editor ofThe Wall Street Journal's Weekend Review (1988–1989),Rachel Maddow (1994–1995), andHeather Podesta (1993–1994).
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare August 18, 1965 - March 1, 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Health, education, and welfare |   | |
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| Health and human services | ||
