Caspar W. Weinberger

Caspar W. Weinberger, described as "a conservative Republican and consummate Cold Warrior who served in the Cabinets of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan and got ensnared in the Iran-Contra scandal," died March 28, 2006, aged 88. 

Profiles
According to his March 28, 2006, Associated Press profile, Weinberger was born August 18, 1917, in San Francisco, California.

Weinberger:
 * "began his political career in 1952 in the California Legislature, where he took on and cleaned up a corrupt state liquor commission."
 * "believed that budgets should always be balanced, first demonstrated his budget-trimming talents in the late 1960s when he helped solve California's budget problems as then-Gov. Reagan's finance director."
 * was recruited by Nixon in 1969 "to head the Federal Trade Commission, where as chairman ... then moved on to run the president's Office of Management and Budget in 1970."
 * "served as Nixon's secretary of health, education and welfare before returning to San Francisco in 1975 as special counsel to the Bechtel Corp., the huge worldwide construction company."
 * was "recalled to public service from Bechtel by Reagan."
 * while Reagan's Secretary of Defense: "federal felony charges stemming from his alleged role in the sale of weapons to Iran to finance secret, illegal aid to the Nicaragua Contras."
 * was "granted Christmas Eve pardons to Weinberger and five others accused in the scandal" by President George H.W. Bush, after he lost in 1992 to President Bill Clinton.
 * joined Forbes, Inc. in 1989 as the magazine's fourth publisher and was named chairman in 1993, "filling a position that had been vacant since the 1990 death of Malcolm S. Forbes. He endorsed Steve Forbes for president in 1996."

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 * Reagan administration