      |
Donald Rumsfeld's biography |
   The son of a Chicago real estate executive, Rumsfeld grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and won a scholarship to Princeton, where he majored in political science. After graduating in 1954, he was a Navy pilot for three years. Interested in a political career, Rumsfeld moved to Washington and became a congressional staff aide, working for two GOP lawmakers. In 1962, at the age of 30, he won election to the House. But he soon ran afoul of the Republican old guard. In 1969, he was defeated when he sought the chairmanship of the Republican Research Committee. With his congressional career apparently stalled, Rumsfeld accepted President Richard M. Nixon's offer of the directorship of the Office of Economic Opportunity, hiring Cheney as his special assistant. Rumsfeld became counselor to the president in 1970. He was nominated to be ambassador to NATO in December 1972, which had the advantage of keeping him out of the White House as the Watergate scandal unfolded. He returned to the White House when Gerald R. Ford became president, eventually succeeding Alexander M. Haig as chief of staff. When Ford shook up his national security establishment in November 1975, Rumsfeld was named to replace James R. Schlesinger at the Pentagon. His term as defense secretary lasted just 14 months and was not marked by any notable incidents. Among the lessons he lists in "Rumsfeld's Rules" from his time at the Pentagon is: "Avoid public spats. When a department argues with other government agencies in the press, it reduces the president's options." After leaving the Pentagon in 1977, Rumsfeld went into high-tech industries, first at the pharmaceutical manufacturer G.D. Searle & Co. and later at General Instrument Corp., a maker of set-top cable television devices. Most recently he has been chairman of Gilead Sciences Inc., a drug research and development company.
|
