John W. Gardner
| John William Gardner | |
|---|---|
 Photo of Gardner from White House Fellows release |
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| Born | October 8, 1912 Los Angeles, California |
| Died | February 16, 2002 (aged 89) Palo Alto, California |
| Political party | Republican |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom (1964) Public Welfare Medal (1966) |
John William Gardner, (October 8, 1912–February 16, 2002) was Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under President Lyndon Johnson. During World War II he served in the United States Marine Corps as a captain. In 1955 he became president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and, concurrently, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.[1] He was also the founder of two influential national U.S. organizations: Common Cause and Independent Sector. He authored books on improving leadership in American society and other subjects. He was also the founder of two prestigious fellowship programs, The White House Fellowship and The John Gardner Fellowship at Stanford University and U.C. Berkeley. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964. In 1966 Gardner was awarded the Public Welfare Medal from the National Academy of Sciences.[2]
Gardner's term as Secretary of HEW was at the height of Johnson's Great Society domestic agenda. During this tenure, the Department undertook both the huge task of launching Medicare, which brought quality health care to senior citizens, and oversaw significant expansions of the landmark Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 that redefined the federal role in education and targeted funding to poor students. Gardner was featured on the cover and in an article of the January 20, 1967 Time magazine, and later that year also presided over the creation of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In 1970, Gardner created Common Cause. He also founded the Experience Corps.[3]
Gardner resigned as head of HEW because he could not support the war in Vietnam.[4]
In September 2000, Gardner lent his name and support to the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities[5] at Stanford University, a center that partners with communities to develop leadership, conduct research, and effect change to improve the lives of youth.
Books, Writings and Speeches [edit]
- Excellence: Can We Be Equal and Excellent Too? (1961)
- To Turn the Tide (1962)[6]
- Self-Renewal (1964)
- No Easy Victories (1968)
- The Recovery of Confidence (1970)
- In Common Cause (1972)
- Morale (1978)
- Quotations of Wit and Wisdom (1980)[7]
- On Leadership (1990)
- Living, Leading, and the American Dream (2003)
- Uncritical Lovers, Unloving Critics (1968) [8]
- Commencement Address at Stanford's 100th Commencement Ceremony (Speech). Stanford University. June 16, 1991. http://jgc.stanford.edu/docs/JWGCentennialCommencementSpeech.pdf. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
References [edit]
- ^ Foundation History
- ^ "Public Welfare Award". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
- ^ History of Experience Corps
- ^ Article on Gardner's resignation from HEW
- ^ John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities
- ^ Editor
- ^ Edited with Francesca Gardner
- ^ 100th Anniversary Cornell Commencement address given June 1, 1968, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
External links [edit]
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: John W. Gardner |
- "John Gardner: Uncommon American" PBS documentary
- John W. Gardner at Find a Grave
- "John W. Gardner: The Man Behind Our Mission"
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Anthony J. Celebrezze |
United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare August 18, 1965 - March 1, 1968 |
Succeeded by Wilbur J. Cohen |
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