biography
| name: |
Bennett, William J(ohn)
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1943– )
|
| biography:
| US Federal official, born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was educated at the University of Texas and Harvard. Outspoken and controversial, as chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (1981–5) he reversed Liberal policies. He became secretary of education (1985–8) promoting a conservative agenda, cutting federal student aid, and urging schools to become a force for moral education. As President Bush's ‘drug tzar’ (1989–91) he co-ordinated the campaign against drugs, but resigned in frustration. He went on to become a senior editor of the National Review, and wrote The Book of Virtues (1997). |
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