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Joseph A. Califano, Jr.

 
Wikipedia: Joseph A. Califano, Jr.
Joseph A. Califano, Jr.

Joseph A. Califano, Jr.


In office
January 25, 1977 – August 3, 1979
Appointed by Jimmy Carter
Preceded by F. David Mathews
Succeeded by Patricia R. Harris

Born May 15, 1931 (1931-05-15) (age 78)
Brooklyn, New York
Nationality United States
Political party Democratic
Alma mater College of the Holy Cross
Harvard Law School

Joseph Anthony Califano, Jr. (born May 15, 1931) is as of 2009 the Chairman of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. He has held many posts in the United States Government including United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1977 until 1979. He is now one of only two living former secretaries of Health, Education, and Welfare (the other is his predecessor, Forest David Mathews).

Califano graduated from College of the Holy Cross in 1952 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1955.

Califano held various legal positions in the United States Department of Defense, eventually becoming the general counsel of the United States Army. Califano was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal.

In 1964, Califano became a special assistant to the United States Secretary of Defense. He was appointed to several committees by President of the United States Lyndon Johnson. In July 1965, he became a special assistant to the president, and served as President Johnson's senior domestic policy aide. He was called "The Deputy President for Domestic Affairs" by The New York Times. He served in that post for the remainder of Johnson's term.

From 1971 to 1977, he was a partner of Edward Bennett Williams and Paul Connolly in the Washington law firm Williams, Connolly & Califano.

In January 1977, Califano was appointed Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by newly elected president Jimmy Carter. His major initiatives included: programs to support childhood immunizations, starting the national anti-smoking campaign, issuing Title IX regulations to provide equal opportunity for women in college athletics, and issuing regulations to provide equal access to the handicapped. The department began efforts to collect defaulted student loans. He was fired by President Carter during a major cabinet reshuffle in 1979 largely because of his aggressive anti-smoking efforts.[citation needed] Califano's lack of popularity by White House staff and his identification with Senator Edward Kennedy were also cited as contributing factors to his dismissal.[citation needed]

From 1983 until 1992, Califano was senior partner and head of the Washington office of the law firm of Dewey Ballantine. Since 1992, he has been the chairman of the National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA), a think/action organization that he founded.

Califano has written several books, including:

  • The Student Revolution: A Global Confrontation
  • A Presidential Nation
  • The Media and the Law (with Howard Simons)
  • The Media and Business (with Howard Simons)
  • Governing America: An Insider's Report from the White House and the Cabinet
  • The 1982 Report on Drug Abuse and Alcoholism
  • America's Health Care Revolution: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Pays
  • The Triumph and Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson: The White House Years
  • Radical Surgery: What's Next for America's Health Care
  • Inside: A Public and Private Life
  • High Society - How Substance Abuse Ravages America and What to Do About It

His twelfth book, How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid: The Straight Dope for Parents, was published in August 2009.

External links


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