Pete Geren | |
---|---|
20th United States Secretary of the Army | |
In office March 9, 2007 –September 21, 2009 | |
President | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Francis J. Harvey |
Succeeded by | John M. McHugh |
United States Under Secretary of the Army | |
In office February 21,2006 –July 23,2007 | |
President | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Raymond F. DuBois |
Succeeded by | Nelson M. Ford |
Acting United States Secretary of the Air Force | |
In office June 29,2005 –November 4,2005 | |
President | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Michael L. Dominguez |
Succeeded by | Michael Wynne |
Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives from Texas's 12th district | |
In office September 12,1989 –January 3,1997 | |
Preceded by | Jim Wright |
Succeeded by | Kay Granger |
Personal details | |
Born | Preston Murdoch Geren III January 29,1952 Fort Worth,Texas,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Beckie Ray |
Children | 3 |
Relatives | Preston Geren Sr. (grandfather) Preston Geren Jr. (father) Charlie Geren (brother) |
Education | University of Texas at Austin (BA,JD) |
[1] | |
Preston "Pete" Murdoch Geren III [2] (born January 29,1952) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 20th United States Secretary of the Army from July 16,2007,to September 16,2009. He is a Democratic former member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas's 12th congressional district. He is the president of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation in Fort Worth,Texas [3] and is a member of the board of trustees of the Institute for Defense Analyses in Alexandria,Virginia.
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(May 2021) |
Geren was born in Fort Worth,Texas to Preston Geren Jr. He attended Georgia Tech in Atlanta,Georgia,from 1970 to 1973,where he was the starting center for the football team. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas in 1974 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law in 1978.
His older brother,Charlie Geren,is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 99 in Tarrant County.
Prior to entering public service,Geren was an attorney and businessman in Fort Worth. From 1983 to 1985 he was an aide to Democrat U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas. [1]
From 1989 until 1997,Geren served for four terms in the United States House of Representatives. He was first elected in a special election to succeed former Speaker of the House Jim Wright. He narrowly defeated Republican candidate,well known Fort Worth allergist Bob Lanier (not to be confused with the mayor of Houston of the same name). Geren was re-elected for three more terms,but opted not to run in 1996. He was succeeded by Kay Granger.
While in Congress,Geren was credited with coining the term "Blue Dog Democrat". Moderate and conservative Democrats in Congress chose to name their group after this term,creating the Blue Dog Coalition. Geren opined that the members had been "choked blue" by "extreme" Democrats from the left. [4] It is related to the political term "Yellow Dog Democrat," a reference to southern Democrats said to be so loyal they would even vote for a yellow dog if it were labeled a Democrat.
Geren joined the Department of Defense in September 2001 to serve as Special Assistant to the Defense Secretary with responsibilities in the areas of inter-agency initiatives,legislative affairs and special projects.
On July 29,2005,Bush appointed Geren the acting United States Secretary of the Air Force,a position he served in until the confirmation of his successor Michael Wynne in November 2005.
Geren was the 28th Undersecretary of the Army,a post he assumed on February 21,2006,following his nomination by President George W. Bush and confirmation by the United States Senate. As the Undersecretary,Geren was the Army's No. 2 civilian leader. He served as the deputy and senior advisor to the Secretary of the Army and was Acting Secretary in the absence of the Secretary.
In March 2007,Geren was named Acting Secretary of the United States Army by Defense Secretary Robert Gates,after Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey resigned amidst the scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. On July 16,2007,the Senate confirmed Geren as Secretary of the Army. [5] On August 30,2007,Geren established the independent Commission on Army Acquisition and Program Management in Expeditionary Operations to investigate the contingency contracting crisis within the army. [6] [7]
Since 2011,he has been president and CEO of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation,in Fort Worth,TX. [8]
The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high-ranking member of the federal cabinet. The secretary of defense's position of command and authority over the military is second only to that of the president of the United States, who is the commander-in-chief. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a defense minister in many other countries. The president appoints the secretary of defense with the advice and consent of the Senate, and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council.
Bradley Rogers Carson is the 21st President of the University of Tulsa.
John Thomas Schieffer is an American diplomat and entrepreneur who served as U.S. Ambassador to Australia from 2001 to 2005 and as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2005 to 2009.
James William Turner, known as Jim Turner, is an American lawyer and politician who was the Democratic U.S. Representative for Texas's 2nd congressional district from 1997 until 2005.
Togo Dennis West Jr. was an American attorney and public official. A Democrat, he was the third person to occupy the post of Secretary of Veterans Affairs during the Bill Clinton administration serving from 1998 until his resignation in 2000. He was the second African American to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Romer Leslie "Les" Brownlee served as the Under Secretary of the Army from November 2001 to December 2004 and as Acting United States Secretary of the Army from 17 November 2004 until his resignation effective 19 November 2004, staying at the Undersecretary's office.
Anne Woods Patterson is an American diplomat and career Foreign Service Officer. She served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs from 2013 to 2017. She previously served as United States Ambassador to Egypt until 2013 and as United States Ambassador to Pakistan from July 2007 to October 2010.
Kevin Christopher Kiley is a former lieutenant general in the United States Army who served as the 41st Surgeon General of the United States Army and the commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He was commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center and North Atlantic Regional Medical Command twice, from 2002 to 2004, and as acting commander, March 1–2, 2007. He submitted his request to retire from the U.S. Army on March 11, 2007, in the wake of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal, and was removed from his nominative billet as a lieutenant general. Pending retirement, he was assigned to a temporary billet at the General Officer Management Office at the Pentagon in the grade major general. His retirement in the grade of major general was subsequently approved.
James Benjamin Peake was the sixth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, serving from 2007 to 2009. In 2004, he retired from a 38-year United States Army career. He also served as the 40th Surgeon General of the United States Army.
The Sid W. Richardson Foundation is a philanthropic organization founded in 1947 by Sid W. Richardson (1891–1959), a Texan who earned his fortune in the oil industry. The foundation was primarily funded after his death. As of December 2020 it had assets of $716.8 million.
Robert Leon Wilkie Jr. is an American lawyer and government official who served as the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2018 to 2021, during the Trump administration. He was previously Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness during the Trump administration, from November 2017 to July 2018. A Naval intelligence officer in the Reserve, he was Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs in the administration of President George W. Bush.
The United States under secretary of the Army is the second-highest-ranking civilian official of the United States Department of the Army, serving directly under the United States Secretary of the Army. The Secretary and Under Secretary, together with two military officers, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army and the Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army, constitute the senior leaders of the United States Army.
Fort Worth Country Day (FWCD) is a JK-12 private, independent, coeducational, nondenominational college-preparatory school located on approximately 100 acres in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS). ISAS is a member of the International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA).
Anthony Jean Tata is an American retired military officer, author and government official.
Ryan D. McCarthy is an American business executive and former U.S. Army Ranger who served as the 24th United States Secretary of the Army, from 2019 to 2021. He previously held the office in an acting capacity in 2017 and 2019.
Laura Jane Richardson is a retired United States Army general who last served as the commander of United States Southern Command from 2021 to 2024. Prior to that, she was the commanding general of United States Army North from 2019 to 2021.
Eric M. Smith is a United States Marine Corps four-star general who has served as the 39th commandant of the Marine Corps since 22 September 2023. He served as acting commandant of the Marine Corps between 10 July 2023 and 22 September 2023 while awaiting Senate confirmation. Before nomination to the position he served as the 36th assistant commandant of the Marine Corps and before that as the deputy commandant for Combat Development and Integration, being succeeded by Karsten Heckl.
Preston Murdoch Geren Jr. was an American architect. A lifelong resident of Fort Worth, Texas, Geren designed or served as associate architect for many of Fort Worth's most notable buildings constructed during his working life.