Drew Lewis
Drew Lewis | |
---|---|
7th United States Secretary of Transportation | |
In office January 23, 1981 – February 1, 1983 | |
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Neil Goldschmidt |
Succeeded by | Elizabeth Dole |
Personal details | |
Born | Andrew Lindsay Lewis Jr. November 3, 1931 Broomall, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | February 10, 2016 Prescott, Arizona, U.S. | (aged 84)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Marilyn Stoughton |
Children | 4 |
Education | Haverford College (BA) Harvard University (MBA) Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Andrew Lindsay Lewis Jr. (November 3, 1931 – February 10, 2016), generally known as Drew Lewis, was an American businessman and politician from the state of
Life and education
Andrew Lindsay Lewis Jr. was born in
At the time of his nomination for Transportation Secretary, he was a member of the Schwenkfelder Church.[4]
Lewis died of complications from pneumonia in Prescott, Arizona on February 10, 2016, at the age of 84.[5]
Career
In the 1950s he held several positions at Henkels and McCoy, Inc. In the 1960s he rose up the ranks of
From 1974 to 1981 he headed Lewis and Associates, a business consulting firm. He became involved in politics through a friend,
In 1980, Lewis served as Reagan's Pennsylvania campaign chairman.[1] When Reagan was elected President, he named Lewis as his Secretary of Transportation, where he served from 1981 to 1983. The 1981 air traffic controllers strike occurred during his tenure. When the strikers defied Reagan's threat to fire them if they did not return to work, it was Lewis who announced their controversial en masse dismissal.[1] Another milestone was the enactment of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, which included a gasoline tax increase and user fees to pay for improvements.[1][2] By the time he left Washington, The Washington Post reported that Lewis was "generally regarded here as the most able domestic Cabinet officer in the administration."[1]
Later life
In 1983, Lewis was hired as chairman and CEO of Warner-Amex Cable Communications (WACCI), the joint venture between the then
In April 1986, about the time Warner Communications sold its interest in MTV Networks, and purchased American Express's share of Warner Amex Cable (renaming it
In 1986, Lewis appeared at the commencement exercises of his alma mater, Haverford College, to be awarded an honorary doctorate degree. After learning that a significant portion of the faculty of the Quaker college had opposed awarding him the honor because of his actions during the still-controversial air traffic controllers strike, he declined to accept the degree. He said he did so out of respect for the Quaker tradition of making decisions by consensus.[1]
In October 1986, he became president and CEO of Union Pacific Corporation, parent of the railroad. One year later, on October 1, 1987, he became Chairman and CEO of Union Pacific Corporation, succeeding William S. Cook.[9] He served in that post until 1997.[2]
In February 1987, President Reagan asked Lewis to return to the White House, and accept the appointment of White House Chief of Staff, following the resignation of Donald T. Regan. However, Lewis turned down the President's request, and the job was subsequently filled by Howard Baker.[10]
In later years, Lewis sat on the boards of
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Langer, Emily (14 February 2016). "Drew Lewis, transportation secretary during air traffic controllers strike, dies at 84". The Washington Post. p. C6.
- ^ a b c d e U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. (2009-03-01). "Biographical Sketches of the Secretaries of Transportation." Archived 2014-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cech, Scott (4 December 1997). "Couple To Donate $3 Million To Ursinus For Field House". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ "Transportation Secretary Confirmation Hearing". C-SPAN. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ^ William Grimes (February 12, 2016). "Drew Lewis, Transportation Secretary During Air Controllers' Strike, Dies at 84". The New York Times.com. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ a b Gannett Company, Arlington, Virginia (1995-06-20) "Drew Lewis named to board of directors." Archived January 24, 2013, at archive.today
- ^ Mark Stroh and Lea Sitton Stanley, "Drew Lewis pleads guilty to DUI charge", The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 10, 2002.
- ^ "Business People: Warner Amex Cable Cuts 57 More Positions". The New York Times. 1983-05-17.
- ^ "Lewis to Head Union Pacific". The New York Times. 1987-09-25.
- ^ Ronald Reagan, 'The Reagan Diaries' (New York: HarperCollins, 2007), p. 477
- University Of Virginia. Miller Center. "Andrew Lewis Jr. (1981–1983): Secretary of Transportation" American President: A Reference Resource.