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{{Short description|Governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990}}{{About||his son|Thomas Kean Jr.|other persons with similar names|Tom Kean (disambiguation)}}{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}

factoids

| predecessor = Vartan Gregorian| successor = Louise Richardson| office1 = Chair of the 9/11 Commission| president1 = George W. BushLee H. Hamilton>Lee Hamilton| term_start1 = December 15, 2002| term_end1 = August 21, 2004| predecessor1 = Henry Kissinger| successor1 = Position abolished| office2 = 10th President of Drew University| term_start2 = 1990| term_end2 = 2005| predecessor2 = Paul Hardin III| successor2 = Robert Weisbuch| office3 = 48th Governor of New Jersey| term_start3 = January 19, 1982| term_end3 = January 16, 1990| predecessor3 = Brendan Byrne| successor3 = James Florio| office4 = Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly| term_start4 = 1972| term_end4 = 1973| predecessor4 = Barry T. Parker| successor4 = S. Howard Woodson| office5 = Member of the New Jersey General Assembly| term_start5 = 1968Served with Philip Kaltenbacher (1967–1974)Jane Burgio (1974–1977)}}| predecessor5 = Proportional representationFrederic Remington (politician)>Frederic RemingtonNew Jersey's 11th legislative district>11-F {{smallNew Jersey's 11th legislative district>11-E {{smallNew Jersey's 25th legislative district>25th {{small|(1974–1978)}}| birth_name = Thomas Howard Kean193521}}New York City, New York, U.S.}}Republican Party (United States)>Republicanend=diedDeborah Kean>Deborah Bye2020}}Thomas Kean Jr.>Tom Jr.Princeton University (Bachelor of Arts>BA)Columbia University (MA)}}Thomas Howard Kean ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|eɪ|n}} {{Respell|KAYN}};Felzenberg, p. 5. born April 21, 1935) is an American politician, statesman, and academic administrator from the state of New Jersey. A Republican, Kean served as the 48th governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990.Kean is a member of the Kean political family. His father, Robert Kean, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and his grandfather, Hamilton Fish Kean, was a U.S. senator. After graduating from Princeton University, Kean worked as a history teacher and obtained a master's degree from Teachers College at Columbia University. He served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1968 to 1978 and held the role of speaker of the Assembly from 1972 to 1973. In 1981, Kean was elected governor of New Jersey; he was re-elected in 1985. A moderate Republican, Kean is regarded as a popular governor who promoted New Jersey tourism.Following his two terms as governor, Kean served as president of Drew University from 1990 until 2005. After the September 11 attacks, Kean was appointed by President George W. Bush as chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, widely known as the 9/11 Commission. On July 22, 2004, Kean and the commission released their findings in the 9/11 Commission Report.Kean is the father of U.S. Representative Thomas Kean Jr.

Early life and education

Kean was born in New York City to a long line of Dutch Americans and New Jersey politicians. His mother was Elizabeth Stuyvesant Howard and his father, Robert Kean, was a U.S. representative from 1939 until 1959.WEB, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, KEAN, Robert Winthrop (1893 – 1980),weblink September 18, 2023, Kean's grandfather Hamilton Fish Kean and great-uncle John Kean both served as U.S. senators from New Jersey. His second great-uncle was Hamilton Fish, a U.S. senator, governor of New York, and U.S. secretary of state. Kean is also descended from William Livingston, who was a delegate to the Continental Congress, was the first governor of New Jersey, and is considered a founding father of New Jersey.WEB, Thomas H. Kean Archive - Biography,weblink governors.rutgers.edu, May 15, 2023,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100606172119weblink">weblink June 6, 2010, en, WEB,weblink Founding Fathers of New Jersey, archives.gov, November 6, 2015, National Archives and Records Administration, March 6, 2022, Kean first attended The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia. When he reached fourth grade, he entered St. Albans School, a college preparatory boarding school in Washington, D.C. In 1946, at the age of eleven, Kean was enrolled at St. Mark's School, an Episcopalian private school in Southborough, Massachusetts that was the alma mater of his father and his two older brothers.Felzenberg, pp. 17, 26.After graduating from St. Mark's, Kean attended Princeton University. At Princeton, he completed a senior thesis on Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, a key architect of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth's constitution, entitled Niemcewicz (The Biography of a Polish Patriot, 1756-1842, Including His Impressions of America, 1797-1807).THESIS, Kean, Thomas Howard, Princeton University. Department of History, Niemcewicz (The Biography of a Polish Patriot, 1756-1842, Including His Impressions of America, 1797-1807),weblink en, While at Princeton, Kean participated in the American Whig–Cliosophic Society, a political, literary, and debating society with a lengthy list of distinguished members.BOOK, Governor Tom Kean: From the New Jersey Statehouse to the 9-11 Commission, Felzenberg, Alvin S., 2006, Rutgers University Press, 978-0-8135-3799-3,weblink registration, He graduated from Princeton with a B.A. in history in 1957. After working on his father's unsuccessful U.S. senatorial campaign in 1958 and returning to St. Mark's School as a history teacher for three years, Kean attended Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City, where he earned his M.A. in history.

New Jersey General Assembly

File:Ford B2542 NLGRF photo contact sheet (1976-12-17)(Gerald Ford Library) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Kean with President Gerald FordGerald Ford File:Reagan Contact Sheet C2417 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Kean with President Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganFile:Bush Contact Sheet P00397 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Kean with President George H. W. BushGeorge H. W. BushIn 1967, running as a moderate Republican, Kean was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly. He ran with Philip D. Kaltenbacher, a Short Hills Republican who had served as an aide to Assemblyman Irwin I. Kimmelman from 1964 to 1966; Kimmelman later served as Attorney General in Kean's administration as New Jersey governor.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} In the Republican primary, Kean and Kaltenbacher defeated Donald Fitz Maurice, Vivian Tompkins Lange, the sister of former U.S. Attorney William F. Tompkins, and Joseph Shanahan to win seats in the New Jersey Assembly.WEB, 1967 Primary Election Results,weblink New Jersey Division of Elections, December 24, 2013, December 24, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131224110551weblink">weblink dead, At the start of the Assembly session in 1972, the New Jersey Assembly's then Democrat leadership sought to name S. Howard Woodson of Trenton as Speaker until Assemblyman David Friedland made a deal as one of four Democrats who voted to give the minority Republicans control of the General Assembly, and Kean was elected as Assembly Speaker. Woodson would have been the Assembly's first African American Speaker, and charges of racism were leveled against Friedland by fellow Democrats.Sullivan, Ronald. "4 Democrats Give G.O.P. Jersey Assembly Control", The New York Times, January 12, 1972. Accessed May 20, 2009. In the following Assembly in 1974, Democrats united behind Woodson for Speaker, and Kean became the Assembly's minority leader. In 1973, Kean served briefly as acting New Jersey governor.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} In 1974, Kean ran for Congress in New Jersey's 5th congressional district but lost the Republican primary to Millicent Fenwick by 0.32%.WEB,weblink Our Campaigns - NJ District 5 - R Primary Race - Jun 04, 1974, www.ourcampaigns.com, During the 1976 presidential campaign, Kean served as Gerald Ford's campaign manager for the state of New Jersey.

Governor of New Jersey

1977 election

In 1977, Kean ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for governor of New Jersey. Although he spent most of his career as a political moderate, in this race Kean ran to the right of New Jersey Senate Minority Leader Raymond Bateman. Kean was unable to obtain the endorsement of many county Republican chairmen, or from then U.S. President Ford despite having served as Ford's campaign director for the state of New Jersey the previous year. Bateman defeated Kean and won the nomination, though Bateman went on to lose the general election to Brendan Byrne.After the election, Governor Byrne appointed Kean as a commissioner on the board of the New Jersey Highway Authority. Kean also worked as a political commentator on New Jersey public television.

1981 election

Four years later, in 1981, Kean again ran for governor. In his campaign, Kean pledged to foster job creation, clean up toxic waste sites, reduce crime, and preserve home rule. In his 1981 campaign, Kean secured the endorsement of former U.S. President Gerald Ford, who had not endorsed him in his 1977 gubernatorial campaign.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}In the 1981 general election, Kean defeated Democratic Representative Jim Florio in the closest election in New Jersey gubernatorial election history, winning by 1,797 votes. The election was controversial due to the involvement of the Republican National Committee, who appointed a Ballot Security Task Force that was alleged to have intimidated voters.WEB,weblink Florio's Defeat Revives Memories of G.O.P. Activities in 1981, November 13, 1993, October 7, 2008, Sullivan, Joseph F., The New York Times, BOOK,weblink The Politics of Deceit: Saving Freedom and Democracy from Extinction, Smith, Glenn W., 2004, John Wiley and Sons, October 7, 2008, 0-471-66763-3, 124, BOOK,weblink Maximizing Voter Choice, United States Congress, United States Congress, Library of Congress, 65, October 5, 2004, 9780160741685, October 7, 2008, One of Kean's strategists in his 1981 campaign was Roger Stone, a self-proclaimed "GOP hitman."Toobin, Jeffrey (June 2, 2008). "The Dirty Trickster" The New Yorker. Edsall, Thomas B. (April 7, 1985). "Partners in Political PR Firm Typify Republican New Breed." Washington Post.

1985 re-election

In striking contrast to his slim 1981 victory, Kean won re-election in 1985 with the largest margin of victory ever recorded in New Jersey gubernatorial history, defeating Peter Shapiro, then Essex County Executive, 70%–29%.Sullivan, Joseph F. "Shapiro Criticizes Party for Defeat", The New York Times, November 9, 1986. Accessed October 10, 2007. Kean won every municipality in the state except Audubon Park and Chesilhurst in Camden County and Roosevelt in Monmouth County."Reality Catches Up to a Utopian Legacy", The New York Times, November 15, 1999. Accessed June 14, 2008.

Tenure (1982-1990)

{{expand section|date=September 2023}}As governor, Kean served on the President's Education Policy Advisory Committee and chaired the Education Commission of the States and the National Governors Association's Task Force on Teaching.WEB,weblink Thomas H. Kean | Bipartisan Policy Center, Bipartisanpolicy.org, June 19, 2015, August 8, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140808125606weblink">weblink dead, Kean began receiving national recognition following the launch of a multi-million dollar promotional campaign for New Jersey tourism, in television commercials promoting New Jersey as a tourist destination, that aired nationally during throughout his eight years as governor. In the ads, in which Kean was sometimes joined by various celebrities with New Jersey roots, including Brooke Shields and Bill Cosby, he recited the state's tourism motto: "New Jersey and You: Perfect Together"."Governor buys vacation home off Long Island: Kean Pushes N.J. but Is Keen on N.Y.", Los Angeles Times, June 20, 1986 In 1998, the campaign was revived by then New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, capping a long-term, multibillion-dollar effort to promote the state and especially its Jersey Shore beach resorts as attractive vacation destinations.WEB,weblink Governor Tom Kean, New Jersey Hall of Fame, September 11, 2001, June 19, 2015, WEB,weblink Governor Christine Todd Whitman Gubernatorial Timeline; Center on the American Governor, Governors.rutgers.edu, June 19, 2015, June 19, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150619220452weblink">weblink dead, In 1988, Kean delivered the keynote speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans.WEB,weblink Happy Birthday, Governor Tom Kean, David, Wildstein, April 21, 2023, New Jersey Globe, WEB,weblink Text of New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean's keynote address..., UPI.com, August 16, 1988, September 22, 2023, Also in 1988, Kean authored a book entitled The Politics of Inclusion.As governor, Kean played a central role in founding and funding the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, one of the nation's largest performing arts centers, that received roughly $200 million in state funding.NJPAC achieves 180 million fundraising goal for nation's sixth largest performing arts center {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714174130weblink |date=July 14, 2011 }} Newjerseynewsroom.com (retrieved November 18, 2009) Kean believed that the cultural center had the power to revitalize Newark and strengthen the state as a whole.NEWS,weblink Kean Proposes Concert Hall For Newark, Newark (Nj), The New York Times, February 8, 1989, June 19, 2015, Kean remained involved in advocacy for the arts years after his time as governor, criticizing arts funding cuts in 2007.WEB,weblink New Jersey Must Rekindle Its Love of the Arts, ArtPridenj.com, May 30, 2007, June 19, 2015, June 18, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150618161604weblink">weblink dead, Kean practiced bipartisanship and outreach beyond traditional political constituencies. He worked extensively with traditional Democratic constituencies, especially on urban policies. He also divested New Jersey's public retirement funds from South Africa during apartheid, embraced the implementation of the statewide holiday in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and supported legislation establishing New Jersey's Educational Opportunity Fund.WEB, Peggy, McGlone,weblink Former Gov. Tom Kean gives Drew University a glimpse of N.J. history with his personal papers, NJ.com, April 19, 2012, June 19, 2015, WEB,weblink Governor Thomas H. Kean Biography | Center on the American Governor, Governors.rutgers.edu, June 19, 2015, June 20, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150620000733weblink">weblink dead, WEB,weblink Executive Orders, Njlegalib.rutgers.edu, June 19, 2015, March 3, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160303222534weblink">weblink dead, In January 1990, Kean was succeeded as governor by James Florio.WEB,weblink 'A fighter who never backed down': NJ officials mourn death of former Gov. Florio, North Jersey Media Group, Quinn, Liam, September 26, 2022, A governor of New Jersey may not serve more than two consecutive terms.WEB,weblink Murphy wins re-election: How many terms can a governor serve in NJ?, Joe, Jacquez, North Jersey Media Group, November 3, 2021,

Cabinet and administration

factoids

| border_color1 = #000Governor of New Jersey>Governor| name1a = Thomas Kean| term1a = January 19, 1982 – January 16, 1990| border_color2 = #000New Jersey Department of Agriculture>Secretary of Agriculture| name2a = Arthur R. Brown Jr. | term2a = July 1, 1982 – January 15, 2002Attorney General of New Jersey>Attorney General| name3a = Irwin I. Kimmelman| term3a = January 19, 1982 – January 21, 1986| name3b = W. Cary Edwards| term3b = January 21, 1986 – January 19, 1989| name3c = Donald R. Besole| term3c = January 19, 1989 – February 14, 1989 (acting)| name3d = Peter N. Perretti Jr.| term3d = February 14, 1989 – January 16, 1990New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance>Commissioner of Banking| name4a = Michael M. Horn| term4a = February 8, 1982 – March 20, 1984 | name4b = Dominick A. Mazzagetti| term4b = March 20, 1984 – July 11, 1984 (acting)Mary Little Cooper>Mary L. Parell| term4c = July 11, 1984 – January 16, 1990New Jersey Civil Service Commission>Chair/Chief Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission| name5a = Eugene J. McCaffrey| term5a = March 23, 1982 – September 25, 1986New Jersey Economic Development Authority>Commissioner of Commerce and Economic Development| name6a = Borden R. Putman| term6a = April 1, 1982 – January 16, 1990New Jersey Department of Community Affairs>Commissioner of Community AffairsJohn Renna>John P. Renna| term7a = February 10, 1982 – November 29, 1985| name7b = Gerome R. White Jr.| term7b = November 30, 1985 – February 18, 1986 (acting)| name7c = Leonard S. Coleman Jr.| term7c = February 18, 1986 – July 6, 1988| name7d = Anthony M. Villane Jr.| term7d = July 7, 1988 – October 26, 1988 (acting)| name7e = Anthony M. Villane Jr.| term7e = October 26, 1988 – January 16, 1990New Jersey Department of Corrections>Commissioner of Corrections| name8a = William H. Fauver| term8a = June 15, 1978 – December 31, 1997New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs>Adjutant General| name9a = Major General Francis R. Gerard| term9a = February 10, 1982 – April 9, 1990New Jersey Department of Education>Commissioner of Education| name10a = Gustav H. Rue | term10a = April 1, 1982 – July 7, 1982 (acting)| name10b = Saul Cooperman| term10b = July 7, 1982 – June 30, 1990New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection>Commissioner of Environmental Protection| name11a = Robert E. Hughey| term11a = March 1, 1982 – January 30, 1986| name11b = Richard T. Dewling| term11b = February 4, 1986 – September 8, 1988Chris Daggett>Christopher J. Daggett| term11c = September 8, 1988 – March 14, 1989 (acting) Chris Daggett>Christopher J. Daggett| term11d = March 14, 1989 – December 31, 1989| name11e = Helen C. Fenske| term11e = January 1, 1990 – January 18, 1990 (acting) | office12 = Commissioner of Energy| name12a = Leonard S. Coleman Jr.| term12a = February 10, 1982 – February 18, 1986| name12b = Charles A. Richman| term12b = February 18, 1986 – April 4, 1988 (acting)New Jersey Department of Health>Commissioner of Health| name13a = Shirley A. Mayor| term13a = March 5, 1982 – October 4, 1982| name13b = Alan N. Koplin| term13b = October 4, 1982 – February 24, 1983 (acting)| name13c = J. Richard Goldstein| term13c = February 24, 1983 – August 1, 1986| name13d = Molly Joel Coye| term13d = August 6, 1986 – December 15, 1989| name13e = David L. Knowlton| term13e = December 15, 1989 – January 16, 1990 (acting)| office14 = Chancellor of Higher Education| name14a = T. Edward Hollinder| term14a = August 9, 1977 – June 30, 1990New Jersey Department of Human Services>Commissioner of Human Services| name15a = George J. Albanese| term15a = March 8, 1982 – June 30, 1985| name15b = G. Geofferys Perselay| term15b = July 1, 1985 – July 1, 1986 (acting)| name15c = Drew E. Altman| term15c = July 1, 1986 – August 18, 1989| name15d = Margaret Howard| term15d = August 19, 1989 – September 7, 1989 (acting)| name15e = William Waldman| term15e = September 8, 1989 – March 26, 1990 (acting)New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance>Commissioner of Insurance| name16a = John G. Foley| term16a = January 25, 1982 – February 10, 1982 (acting)| name16b = Joseph F. Murphy| term16b = February 10, 1982 – April 16, 1984Kenneth Merin>Kenneth D. Merin| term16c = April 16, 1984 – October 9, 1984 (acting)Kenneth Merin>Kenneth D. Merin| term16d = October 9, 1984 – January 10, 1985| name16e = Jasper J. Jackson| term16e = January 10, 1985 – March 11, 1985 (acting)| name16f = Hazel Frank Gluck| term16f = March 11, 1985 – May 10, 1986Kenneth Merin>Kenneth D. Merin| term16g = May 10, 1986 – January 16, 1990New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development>Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development| name17a = Roger Bodman| term17a = January 25, 1982 – February 5, 1982 (acting)| name17b = Roger Bodman| term17b = February 5, 1982 – July 1, 1984| name17c = William G. Van Note, Jr. | term17c = July 2, 1984 – October 1, 1984| name17d = Charles Serraino| term17d = October 1, 1984 – January 16, 1990| office18 = Personnel Commissioner| name18a = Eugene J. McCaffey| term18a = September 25, 1986 – June 9, 1989| name18b = Charles A. Nanry| term18b = June 12, 1989 – January 18, 1990 (acting)New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate>Public Advocate| name19a = Joseph H. Rodriguez| term19a = February 11, 1982 – May 21, 1985| name19b = Amy R. Piro| term19b = May 22, 1985 – July 31, 1985 (acting)| name19c = Alfred A. Slocum| term19c = August 1, 1985 – March 24, 1986 (acting)| name19d = Alfred A. Slocum| term19d = March 24, 1986 – January 16, 1990Secretary of State of New Jersey>Secretary of State| name20a = Jane Burgio| term20a = January 19, 1982 – January 16, 1990New Jersey Department of Transportation>Commissioner of TransportationJohn Sheridan (New Jersey government official)>John P. Sheridan | term21a = May 19, 1982 – May 4, 1985| name21b = Roger A. Bodman | term21b = May 10, 1985 – May 26, 1986| name21c = Hazel Frank Gluck| term21c = May 27, 1986 – July 7, 1989| name21d = Robert A. Innocenzi| term21d = July 7, 1989 – March 26, 1990 (acting)New Jersey Department of the Treasury>State Treasurer| name22a = Kenneth R. Biederman| term22a = January 19, 1982 – February 25, 1982 (acting)| name22b = Kenneth R. Beiderman| term22b = February 25, 1982 – March 16, 1984| name22c = Michael M. Horn| term22c = March 20, 1984 – January 21, 1986| name22d = Feather O’ Conner| term22d = March 7, 1986 – January 8, 1990}}

Gubernatorial legacy

File:New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean visiting Fort Dix, Nov 6, 1987.jpg|thumb|Kean visiting Fort Dix as New Jersey governor in November 1987]]Kean left office in January 1990 as one of the most popular political figures in New Jersey political history. A number of leading New Jersey figures of the 1990s and 2000s began their political careers in Kean's administration, including Douglas Forrester, Bob Franks, and Chris Daggett.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}In the aftermath of Kean's tenure as a two-term New Jersey governor, the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University–New Brunswick's Center on the American Governor in New Brunswick, established the Thomas H. Kean Archive.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

President of Drew University

In 1990, following the end of his second gubernatorial term, Kean was named President of Drew University, a liberal arts university in Madison, New Jersey. During Kean's presidency, applications to Drew increased by more than 40 percent; the endowment nearly tripled; and more than $60 million was committed to construction of new buildings and renovation of older buildings. Kean would frequently eat lunch unannounced with students in the dining hall and was a regular spectator at Drew sporting events. Kean served as Drew's president until 2005, and also taught a highly selective political science seminar at the university.WEB,weblink Much "perfect" in Kean's service - New Jersey Hills Media Group - Mobile Adv, Newjerseyhills.com, August 31, 2004, June 19, 2015,

National policy leadership

In 1990, Kean for the first time began expressing views on foreign policy and national security matters that generally mirrored those of the Republican Party. In a December 15, 1991, speech to The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., Kean endorsed free trade initiatives then under way by the George H. W. Bush administration. Kean also advocated continued U.S. aid to anti-communist resistance forces in Afghanistan, Angola, and to those engaged in supporting democratic change in the former Soviet Union. "To those supporting the Afghan resistance," Kean told the Heritage Foundation audience in 1991, "I say, carry on."Kean, Thomas H. "A View from Outside the Beltway: Winning Policy Themes for the 1990s" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315020000weblink |date=March 15, 2009 }}, The Heritage Foundation, December 15, 1991. Accessed August 7, 2007Kean was appointed to the boards of several important foreign policy bodies, including the U.S. government-funded National Endowment for Democracy (NED); a Presidential advisory commission on a post-Castro Cuba, which was chaired by former U.S. Presidential Republican candidate Steve Forbes; and President Bill Clinton's One America Initiative. He also served as an advisory board member for the Partnership for a Secure America.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} Kean served as co-chair of the National Security Preparedness Group (NSPG) at the Bipartisan Policy Center."National Security Preparedness Group" webpage {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715023931weblink |date=July 15, 2011 }}; accessed June 19, 2015.{{when|date=March 2023}}

Other work

Corporate board memberships

File:4 23 2019 A New Approach to Preventing Extremism in Fragile States (47699407951).jpg|thumb|Kean speaking at the United States Institute of PeaceUnited States Institute of PeaceKean has served as chairman of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's largest health philanthropy; the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy; the Carnegie Corporation of New York; Educate America; the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation; MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership; and the Newark Alliance. He has also served as a board member for several publicly traded companies, including Aramark, UnitedHealth Group, Hess Corporation, The Pepsi Bottling Group, CIT Group, and Franklin Templeton Investments.WEB,weblink Carnegie Corporation of New York: Thomas H. Kean, Carnegie.org, June 19, 2015, May 3, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150503052700weblink">weblink dead, WEB,weblink National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, Govinfo.library.unt.edu, August 21, 2004, June 19, 2015, WEB, Thomas H., Kean,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20140811222653weblink">weblink dead, August 11, 2014, Thomas H. Kean: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek, Investing.businessweek.com, June 19, 2015, In 2006, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating the conduct of United Health Group's management and directors, and the Internal Revenue Service and prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York subpoenaed documents from the company. The investigations came to light following publication of a series of probing articles in The Wall Street Journal in May 2006, which reported on the apparent backdating of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of stock options by UnitedHealth Group's management. The backdating allegedly occurred with the knowledge and approval of the directors, including Kean, who sat on the company's compensation committee during three crucial years, according to The Wall Street Journal. Major shareholders filed lawsuits, accusing Kean and the other directors of failing in their fiduciary duty.weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060706153739weblink">"A Board With Its Back To The Wall: UnitedHealth directors aren't ready to oust embattled CEO McGuire. Here's why", businessweek.com, July 10, 2006.Joe Conason, Jersey hustler: "Why did former Gov. Kean, once a respected statesman, mislead the public and the press about the accuracy of ABC's 'Path to 9/11'?", Salon.com, September 15, 2006.

Columnist

From 1995 until 2018, Kean was a weekly columnist for The Star-Ledger, a Newark-based newspaper and the most widely circulated newspaper in the state. Co-authored with former New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne, Kean's immediate predecessor as New Jersey governor, the column, titled "Kean-Byrne Dialogue", addressed issues of the day and was published weekly by The Star-Ledger.WEB, Kean-Byrne Dialogues,weblink Eagleton Institute of American Politics, March 12, 2023,

Alpha Phi Omega and Quad Partners

Kean is also an advisor to, and has been inducted into, Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity, and is a partner in Quad Partners, a private equity firm that invests in the education industry.Quad Partners webpage {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515031503weblink |date=May 15, 2013 }}, quadventures.com; accessed June 19, 2015.

Chair of 9/11 Commission

Following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States by al-Qaeda, political pressure grew for an independent commission to independently investigate why the attacks were not prevented by U.S. national security organizations, including the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, National Security Agency, and others, and to provide recommendations for preventing future terrorist attacks. The commission is widely considered the most important independent U.S. government commission since the Warren Commission, which was charged with investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, and perhaps the most important U.S. government commission in American history given its mammoth responsibility for investigating the causes of the first foreign attack on the U.S. mainland since the War of 1812, which represented the largest terrorist attack in world history, and recommending steps to defend the U.S. from future attacks. Kean's appointment to head the commission, and later the work and final report of the commission, drew substantial global attention.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Appointment and criticism

File:George W. Bush, Lee Hamilton, and Thomas Kean.jpg|thumb|Kean with then U.S. President George W. Bush and Lee Hamilton in the White House Rose GardenWhite House Rose GardenBush initially selected Richard Nixon's former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to head the 9/11 Commission. But Kissinger faced opposition due to his potential conflicts of interest with his global business consultancy, and withdrew from consideration for the position on December 13, 2002. Noting Kean's post-gubernatorial foreign policy involvement and his reputation as a consensus-oriented political leader, Bush nominated Kean as Kissinger's replacement in leading the important and politically sensitive commission.*Statement by President George W. Bush on the appointment of Thomas Kean to Head 9/11 Commission, The White House, December 16, 2002.Just as some had criticized Kissinger's nomination, Kean's leadership of the commission also drew some criticism. Some alleged that Kean did not have the depth of foreign policy and national security expertise needed to manage an investigation so integral to the future of American national security. Supporters of Kean in the Bush administration and elsewhere, however, countered that Kean's work since 1990 as a board member of the National Endowment for Democracy, the post-Castro Cuba Commission, and his foreign policy and national security commentary and analysis following his governorship established adequate national security and foreign policy credentials for him to assume such a critically important assignment.Tom Kean Is Not A Household Name, Scoop Independent News, December 19, 2002

Chairmanship and final report

{{Further|Criticism of the 9/11 Commission}} In December 2003, as the 9/11 Commission neared completion of its investigation, Kean said that the September 11 attacks could have been prevented, saying, "As you read the report, you're going to have a pretty clear idea what wasn't done and what should have been done. This was not something that had to happen.""9/11 Chair: Attack Was Preventable" {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122044956weblink |date=January 22, 2014 }}, CBS News, December 18, 2003. On April 4, 2004, in an interview with Meet the Press, Kean again stated that the September 11 attacks could have been prevented, saying that the federal government should have acted sooner to dismantle al-Qaeda and responded more quickly to the terrorist threat it represented. "When we actually saw bin Laden on the ground, using the Predator or other means, did we have...actionable intelligence? Should we have sent a cruise missile into a site where he was at that point? I think those early opportunities are clear. We had him. We saw him. I think maybe we could have done something about it."WEB,weblink Transcript for April 4, April 4, 2004, NBC News, On July 22, 2004, the Commission issued its final report, the 9/11 Commission Report, a 585-page report that concluded concluded that the CIA and the FBI ill-served President Bush and the American people in failing to predict or prevent the September 11 attacks, which the report concluded were preventable.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Later work relating to 9/11 attacks

On August 15, 2006, Kean and Commission Vice Chair Lee H. Hamilton released a book, Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission, published by Alfred A. Knopf.*Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission, by Thomas Kean and Lee H. Hamilton, Alfred A. Knopf, published 2006 In the book, Kean and Hamilton write that the 9/11 Commission was so frustrated with repeated misstatements by The Pentagon and Federal Aviation Administration that it considered an investigation into possible deception by these government bodies concerning their response to the attacks.NEWS, Book: Sept. 11 Panel Doubted Officials, Hope, Yen,weblink Associated Press, The Washington Post, August 4, 2006, Kean served as a paid consultant and spokesman for the ABC miniseries The Path to 9/11, which aired nationally in primetime in two segments, on September 10 and 11, 2006. The second part of the miniseries also aired without commercial interruption with the exception of a 20-minute break at 9 pm ET, when President Bush addressed the nation on the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} While not technically considered a documentary by ABC, the series drew criticism prior to its airing for misrepresenting facts leading up the September 11 attacks. Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, many former high-ranking Clinton administration officials, and other scholars, publicly questioned the accuracy of the miniseries and asked that it not be aired. Albright called the miniseries' portrayal of her "false and defamatory.""Clinton blasts 9/11 film, amid report of changes", CNN.com, September 8, 2006 Former U.S. ambassador to Yemen Barbara Bodine also strongly criticized her own portrayal, complaining in the Los Angeles Times about the "mythmakers" who created it and calling the project "false."Barbara Bodine, "9/11 Miniseries Is Bunk", Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2006.On July 4, 2007, al-Qaeda publicly released a video of Ayman al-Zawahri, its deputy chief, urging all Muslims to unite in a holy war against the United States in Iraq and elsewhere. The 95-minute video also prominently featured video excerpts of Kean citing al-Qaeda as one of the most formidable security threats that the U.S. had ever confronted, presumably cited with the intention of bolstering the morale of al-Qaeda supporters. Comments by Kean cited on the video include a reference to the fact that al-Qaeda remained as strong in 2007 as it was before the September 11, 2001, attacks.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} The video also appeared to validate that al-Qaeda was closely monitoring U.S. political developments, especially including the work of the commission. It also suggested that al-Qaeda intended to focus not just on engaging the West in Iraq, but also in other countries. "As for the second half of the long-term plan," al-Zawahri says on the video, "it consists of hurrying to the fields of Jihad like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia for Jihadi preparation and training".{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}The commission reassembled in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2014, for the tenth anniversary of the issuance of its report. It assessed how well the government was performing given in addressing terrorist threats and to meeting the commission's recommendations for preventing a future attack.Bipartisan Commission on September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727194940weblink |date=July 27, 2014 }}, bipartisanpolicy.org, July 2014; accessed June 19, 2015.{{Update after|2018|2}}

Awards and recognition

{{See also|Governor Thomas H. Kean}}Kean holds over 30 honorary degrees and numerous awards from environmental and educational organizations, including:WEB,weblink The Honorable Thomas H. Kean, Pegasus.rutgers.edu, June 19, 2015, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110814053118weblink">weblink August 14, 2011, WEB,weblink Frederick Heldring Global Leadership Award - GIC International Financial Leaders, Interdependence.org, June 19, 2015, WEB,weblink National, Jefferson Awards, June 19, 2015, July 14, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140714145641weblink">weblink dead,

• The Four Freedoms Award
• NAACP's "Man of the Year" award
• The Senator John Heinz Award for Public Service
• The Global Interdependence Center's Frederick Heldring Global Leadership Award
• The Voice of September 11 Building Bridges Award
• The National Wildlife Federation's "Conservation Achievement Award"
• The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation's "Visionary Leadership Award"
• The American Institute for Public Service's Jefferson Award for Public Service
• The Arthur W. Page Center's "Larry Foster Award for Integrity in Public Communication"WEB,weblink Foreman, Hardage, Kean named 2020 Page Center Award honorees, www.bellisario.psu.edu, {{better source needed|date=September 2023}}

In 2009, New York Waterways named the ferry Governor Thomas Kean in Kean's honor. On January 15, 2009, the ferry saved two dozen individuals when US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing on the Hudson River.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}In 2013, Kean was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.WEB,weblink Governor Tom Kean 2013 Inductee - Public Service, njhalloffame.org,

Personal life

Kean met his future wife, Deborah Bye, at a party in Manhattan.NEWS, Sophie, Nieto-Munoz, Former N.J. First Lady Debby Kean dies at 76,weblink NJ.com, January 3, 2021, January 31, 2021,weblink February 6, 2021, dead, They began dating in October 1966.NEWS, David, Wildstein, Debby Kean, former First Lady, dies at 76,weblink New Jersey Globe, April 24, 2020, February 28, 2021,weblink August 6, 2020, live, Bye and Kean married at the Old Drawyers Church in Odessa, Delaware on June 3, 1967.NEWS, Mike, Deak, Deborah Kean, wife of former NJ Gov. Thomas Kean, dies,weblink Courier News, Bridgewater Courier News, MyCentralJersey.com, April 24, 2020, February 28, 2021,weblink April 25, 2020, dead, NEWS, Delaware Nuptials For Deborah E. Bye,weblink The New York Times, June 4, 1967, February 28, 2021, The couple had three children: daughter, Alexandra, and twin sons, Tom Jr. and Reed.NEWS,weblink Weddings – Dorian Drees, Reed Kean, The New York Times, December 10, 2000, Kean moved to Livingston, New Jersey in 1967 during his first campaign for office.NEWS, Sullivan, Joseph F.,weblink Kean Set to Get 'Diploma' Tuesday, The New York Times, November 29, 1981, February 24, 2011, As of 2015, Kean lived in Bedminster, New Jersey.Friedman, Matt. "At 80, former N.J. Gov. Tom Kean is still a force to reckon with", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 19, 2015. Accessed October 6, 2018. "Asked why he's still popular, Kean — who lives in Bedminster with his wife, Deborah — said it could be that he appointed competent people in the administration, had a good economy through most of his eight years in office and left with accomplishments."Deborah Kean died on April 24, 2020 at the age of 76. The Keans had been married for 53 years.

References

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=NEWS , NEWS,weblink A Great Day to be Commandant! -- Part Two -- Updated with Photos, iCommandant, Thad, Allen, Thad Allen, February 26, 2009, June 7, 2019, At just 20 years old, Petty Officer Catanzaro has already attained her 100-ton license and is a New York Ferry Captain. She was serving in this capacity on the afternoon of the FLT 1549 crash and was one of the first vessels on scene, ultimately rescuing 26 people., }}

External links

{{commons category}}

• Thomas H. Kean biography at 9/11 Commission official website
• The 9/11 Commission Report, 9/11 Commission Report, July 22, 2004
• "Thomas Kean archive" at Rutgers University
• {{C-SPAN|223}}
• "A View from Outside the Beltway: Winning Policy Themes for the 1990s", by Thomas Kean, Heritage Lecture No. 357, The Heritage Foundation, December 15, 1991
• "9/11 Panel Suspected Deception by Pentagon", The Washington Post, August 2, 2006
• "Stonewalled by the C.I.A.", op-ed by Kean and Lee H. Hamilton, The New York Times, January 2, 2008
• "Governor Tom Kean" at New Jersey Hall of Fame

{{Speakers of the New Jersey General Assembly}}{{Governors of New Jersey}}{{911Commission}}{{Dudley–Winthrop family}}{{Authority control}}