Warren Rudman

Warren Rudman
Chairperson of the Intelligence Oversight Board
Acting
In office
February 8, 2000  October 5, 2001
President Bill Clinton
George W. Bush
Preceded by Anthony Harrington
Succeeded by Brent Scowcroft
Chairperson of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board
In office
November 19, 1997  October 5, 2001
Acting: November 19, 1997 – February 18, 1998
President Bill Clinton
George W. Bush
Preceded by Tom Foley
Succeeded by Brent Scowcroft
In office
May 21, 1995  January 16, 1996
Acting
President Bill Clinton
Preceded by Les Aspin
Succeeded by Tom Foley
United States Senator
from New Hampshire
In office
December 29, 1980  January 3, 1993
Preceded by John Durkin
Succeeded by Judd Gregg
Attorney General of New Hampshire
In office
1970–1976
Governor Walter Peterson
Meldrim Thomson
Preceded by George Pappagiannis
Succeeded by David Souter
Personal details
Born Warren Bruce Rudman
(1930-05-18)May 18, 1930
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died November 19, 2012(2012-11-19) (aged 82)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Shirley Wahl
Alma mater Syracuse University
Boston College
Religion Judaism
Military service
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch  United States Army

Warren Bruce Rudman (May 18, 1930  November 19, 2012) was an American attorney and Republican politician who served as United States Senator from New Hampshire between 1980 and 1993. He was known as a moderate centrist, to such an extent that President Clinton approached him in 1994 about replacing departing Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen in Clinton's cabinet, an offer that Rudman declined.[1]

After two terms in office, Rudman chose not to run for re-election in 1992. At the time of his death, he was a co-chair of Albright Stonebridge Group; a retired partner in the international law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; and an advisory board member of Promontory Financial Group. He previously sat on the board of directors of Raytheon, Collins & Aikman, Allied Waste Corporation, Boston Scientific and a number of funds in the Dreyfus Family of Funds.

Early life and education

Rudman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Theresa (née Levenson) and Edward G. Rudman.[2] His family were Jewish immigrants from Germany, Poland, and Russia.[3] Rudman lived his entire life in New Hampshire, with few exceptions. He attended the Valley Forge Military Academy boarding school in Wayne, PA. He received his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University, and served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He received his law degree from Boston College Law School in 1960, and was appointed Attorney General of New Hampshire in 1970; serving in that capacity until 1976.[4]

Career

From 2004 to 2006, Rudman also led a team of attorneys that investigated accounting practices at Fannie Mae.

Prior to the September 11 attacks, Rudman had served on a now oft-cited and praised national panel investigating the threat of international terrorism. He, along with fellow former Senator Gary Hart (D-CO), chaired the panel, and both Rudman and Hart have been lauded since September 11 for their prescient conclusions.

Senator Rudman was an Advisory Board member and Co-Chair of the Partnership for a Secure America, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy.

Rudman was one of the few Jewish politicians elected in New Hampshire. He spent his final years as a resident of Hollis, New Hampshire, a suburb of both Nashua and Boston.

He was the author of a memoir called Combat.

Senate career

Rudman defeated incumbent John Durkin in the 1980 election, riding the wave of Ronald Reagan's landslide victory. Durkin resigned and the Governor appointed Rudman to fill the vacancy in late December 1980.[4] Rudman served on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Ethics Committee. His best-known legislative effort was the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act.

Rudman, along with John H. Sununu, was a key player in the appointment of Rudman's personal friend, Supreme Court Justice David Souter, to both the First Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. The Wall Street Journal later editorialized about the appointment, saying: "Mr. Rudman, the man who helped put liberal jurist David Souter on the high court" and who in his "Yankee Republican liberalism" took "pride in recounting how he sold Mr. Souter to gullible White House chief of staff John Sununu as a confirmable conservative. Then they both sold the judge to President Bush, who wanted above all else to avoid a confirmation battle."[5] Rudman wrote in his memoir that he had "suspected all along" that Souter would not "overturn activist liberal precedents."[6] Sununu later said of Rudman, "In spite of it all, he's a good friend. But I've always known that he was more liberal than he liked the world to think he was."[6]

Post-Senate years

After leaving the Senate, Rudman was twice considered as a possible Vice Presidential candidate on the ticket of two parties other than the GOP. In 1996, Ross Perot offered Rudman the slot to be his vice presidential running mate on the Reform Party ticket, but Rudman refused (as former Democratic Senator David Boren of Oklahoma did).[7] Perot eventually selected Pat Choate.

Also, in 2004, Rudman was mentioned as possible running mate for Democratic nominee John Kerry.[8] Kerry eventually selected John Edwards.

Rudman did accept Senator John McCain's offer to serve as campaign chair in McCain's 2000 presidential campaign.[6] The Warren B. Rudman United States Courthouse in Concord is named for him. On January 8, 2001, he was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Clinton.[9] He was a founder and Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Concord Coalition.

He was a co-chair, along with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright[10] and former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger,[11] of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global business consulting and strategy firm based in Washington, D.C.

He died of cancer on November 19, 2012.[12]

After his death, President Obama praised Rudman as an early advocate for fiscal responsibility.[13]

Coincidentally, his death occurred just slightly over a month after the death of John Durkin, his predecessor as US Senator from New Hampshire, whom Rudman defeated in 1980 when Durkin sought re-election. Durkin died on October 16, 2012.[14]

References

  1. Duffy, Michael (December 19, 1994). "Getting Out the Wreckking Ball". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
  2. Clymer, Adam (November 20, 2012). "Warren B. Rudman, New Hampshire Senator, Dies at 82". The New York Times.
  3. 1 2 "Rudman, Warren Bruce". United States Congress. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  4. "Chief Justice Souter?". Wall Street Journal. 2000-02-29.
  5. 1 2 3 Tinsley E. Yarbrough (2005). "David Hackett Souter: Traditional Republican on the Rehnquist Court". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  6. "Pat Choate". CNN and TIME – All Politics. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  7. Crowley, Michael (May 28, 2004). "Kerry's long shortlist for vice president". Slate Magazine.
  8. The White House – Office of the Press Secretary
  9. Madeleine Albright, Albright Stonebridge Group
  10. Sandy Berger, Albright Stonebridge Group
  11. Clymer, Adam (20 November 2012). "Warren B. Rudman, Blunt Senator Who Led Budget Struggle, Dies at 82". New York Times. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  12. "John Durkin obituary". Legacy.com. October 16, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2012.

See also

External links

Legal offices
Preceded by
George Pappagiannis
Attorney General of New Hampshire
1970–1976
Succeeded by
David Souter
Party political offices
Preceded by
Louis Wyman
Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from New Hampshire
(Class 3)

1980, 1986
Succeeded by
Judd Gregg
United States Senate
Preceded by
John Durkin
United States Senator (Class 3) from New Hampshire
1980–1993
Served alongside: Gordon Humphrey, Robert Smith
Succeeded by
Judd Gregg
Political offices
Preceded by
Les Aspin
Chairperson of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board
Acting

1995–1996
Succeeded by
Tom Foley
Preceded by
Tom Foley
Chairperson of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board
1997–2001
Succeeded by
Brent Scowcroft
Preceded by
Anthony Harrington
Chairperson of the Intelligence Oversight Board
Acting

2000–2001
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