Governor Tom Kean : from the New Jersey statehouse to the 9-11 Commission / Alvin S. Felzenberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Felzenberg, Alvin S.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Legislators--United States--Biography.

Legislators.

Governors--New Jersey--Biography.

Governors.

Legislators--New Jersey--Biography.

New Jersey--Politics and government--1951-.

New Jersey.

United States. Congress. House--Biography.

United States.

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States.

Drew University--Presidents--Biography.

Drew University.

Kean, Thomas H.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (580 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rivergate Books/Rutgers University Press, c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Long before Bill Clinton spoke of "triangulation," a term that referred to a centrist governing style, prior to Tony Blair repositioning the British Labor Party midway between Thatcher conservatism and militant trade unionism, and far ahead of George W. Bush referring to his agenda as "compassionate conservatism," there was Tom Kean. From the moment of his election to the New Jersey state assembly in 1967, through his guidance of the 9/11 Commission nearly three decades later, Kean consistently displayed a knack for bipartisan leadership. In this first political biography of one of the nation's most popular and successful governors, Alvin S. Felzenberg tells the story of a remarkable career that culminated in an unexpected and crucial contribution to the country-chairmanship of the 9/11 Commission. Felzenberg describes how, early in his political career, Kean worked to transform New Jersey's legislature in the aftermath of court rulings that mandated redistricting in accordance with the "one man, one vote" principle. He discusses Kean's efforts to relieve the urban crisis that followed in the wake of the 1967 Newark riots. He relates how Kean was able to use the New Jersey governorship-purportedly the strongest in the country-to transform a so-called "rust belt" state into a leader in education, environmental responsibility, and economic growth. Kean's successes in these and other areas caused leaders outside New Jersey to follow in his path. Together with his fellow governors, Kean forged a national consensus on domestic policy between Democratic congresses and Republican presidents, in the process winning for himself a leadership role in his own party. Kean's story serves as an uncommon case of how a Republican loyal to the historic roots and principles of his party can not only win election in a "blue state" but effectively govern it. Starting from the example the governor set on the state level, Felzenberg's account traces Kean's career to positions of trusted authority on the national stage. After several years of advising presidents, Kean was appointed chairman of the 9/11 Commission. In this role, he made the bipartisan, Congressionally mandated commission one of the most successful in American history. Drawing on interviews with Kean as well as with state and national leaders, including former presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton and former New York City mayor Ed Koch, Felzenberg not only provides a marvelous biography, but also offers a unique look at American politics during the last four decades of the twentieth century.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Prologue

1. The Early Years

2. Kean Comes of Age

3. In the Service of His Father

4. Kean Finds His Calling

5. The Precocious Freshman

6. The Institutional Reformer

7. In the Minority But Not in the Wilderness

8. The Making of the Governor, 1981

9. A Truncated Transition

10. Kean Settles In

11. Building New Jersey Pride

12. The Education Governor

13. Kean and the Arts

14. Kean the Environmentalist

15. The Politics of Inclusion

16. The Administrator

17. The Reelection of the Governor, 1985

18. The Storm over the Wilentz Case

19. Kean Reforms Welfare

20. The Man with the Message

21. Citizen Kean

22. Chairing the 9–11 Commission

Epilogue

Interviews

Notes

Index

About the Author

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 455-523) and index.

ISBN:

1-282-13357-8

9786613806154

0-8135-3986-2

OCLC:

799766922