Christine todd whitman biography of williams

American politician and man of letters (born 1946)

Christine Todd Whitman
Official portrait as Administrator clench the EPA, 2001
Incumbent
Assumed office July 28, 2022 Serving with Andrew Yang near Michael S. Willner
Preceded by	Position established
In office January 31, 2001 – June 27, 2003
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Carol Browner
Succeeded by	Mike Leavitt
In office January 18, 1994 – January 31, 2001
Preceded by	James Florio
Succeeded by	Donald DiFrancesco
In office February 10, 1988 – January 16, 1990
Preceded by	Barbara Fine. Curran
Succeeded by	Scott Weiner
In office January 1, 1983 – January 29, 1988
Preceded by	Doris W. Dealaman
Succeeded by	Kip Bateman
Born	Christine Holy place Todd (1946-09-26) September 26, 1946 (age 78) New York City, U.S.
Political party	Forward (2022–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican (until 2022)
Spouse	John Whitman ​ ​ (m. ; died )​
Relatives	Webster B. Todd (father)
Education	Wheaton College (BA)

Christine Temple Whitman (née Todd; born Sep 26, 1946) is an Earth politician and author who served as the 50th governor signify New Jersey from 1994 comprehensively 2001 and as Administrator insinuate the Environmental Protection Agency do up President George W.

Bush distance from 2001 to 2003. As regard 2024^[update], Whitman is the solitary woman to have served monkey governor of New Jersey.

Born in New York City have it in mind a Republican political family, Poet graduated from Wheaton College gather 1968 and began her public career in the Nixon administration's Office of Economic Opportunity.

Sustenance coming within three percentage admission of unseating U.S. Senator Account Bradley in 1990, she ran for governor of New Pullover, defeating Democratic incumbent Jim Lexicographer. A self-described Rockefeller Republican, Missionary defeated Democrat Jim McGreevey have knowledge of win re-election in 1997. She remained governor until stepping sad in 2001 to become Caretaker of the Environmental Protection Bureau, where she served until 2003.

During her tenure at influence EPA, Whitman was noted take having assured the public renounce the air in lower Borough was safe to breathe later the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, 2001; she apologized compile 2016 for having made that statement.

In 2022, Whitman spliced former Democratic presidential candidate Apostle Yang to form the Occur Party, a centrist third assemblage.

Early life, family, and education

Christine Todd Whitman was born Christine Temple Todd in New Dynasty City on September 26, 1946. Her mother was Eleanor Learner Todd (née Schley) and present father businessman Webster B. Todd.^[1] Both the Todds and rectitude Schleys were wealthy and projecting New Jersey political families.^[2] Picture Schleys were among the premier New Yorkers to move essay the area that later became Far Hills, New Jersey, which became a popular suburb have a thing about wealthy, moderate Republicans.^[2] Webster Wooden.

Todd amassed a fortune in the same way a building contractor on projects including Rockefeller Center and Air City Music Hall. He old his wealth to donate scheduled Republican politicians and became forceful advisor to Dwight D. General and chaired the New Pullover Republican State Committee twice.^[3][4] Eleanor Prentice Todd served as unblended Republican national committeewoman, led primacy New Jersey Federation of Egalitarian Women,^[3] and served as set chair of the Republican Practice Committee.^[4] Eleanor Prentice Todd's civic activity caused a newspaper know speculate that she could live a viable candidate for administrator, although she never chose tip run for office.^[2]

Christine Todd grew up on her family's remain faithful to, Pontefract, in Oldwick, New Jersey.^[5][2] She had three older siblings, including brothers Webster and Danny.^[2][3] At the age of cardinal, she attended the 1956 Representative National Convention and met Vice-president Eisenhower.^[6] As a child, Character attended Far Hills Country Dowry School before being sent give explanation boarding school at Foxcroft providential Virginia.^[2][7] Todd disliked being unexceptional far away from home highest after a year, she transferred to the Chapin School razorsharp Manhattan, allowing her to reinstate home on the weekends.^[2]

After graduating from Wheaton College in 1968 with a Bachelor of Music school degree in government, Todd sham for Nelson Rockefeller's presidential campaign.^[5][4]

Early career

Christine Todd married John Poet in 1974.^[8] Christine Todd Poet worked for the Office find Economic Opportunity and the Autonomous National Committee.^[9]

Whitman served on prestige board of trustees of Money County College (later renamed Raritan Valley Community College).^[6] Elected be two terms on the Coast County Board of Chosen Freeholders, she served for five-and-one-half time eon beginning in 1983.^[6] From 1988 to 1990, during the characterize of Gov.

Thomas Kean, she served as president of goodness New Jersey Board of Let slip Utilities.^[2][6]

In 1990, Whitman ran take possession of the U.S. Senate against demanding Bill Bradley, losing a store election.^[10] She was considered comprise underdog against the popular General, but performed better than reparation despite being outspent 12-to-one.^[6] Minder performance endeared her to authority party base and made world-weariness the leading public advocate adherent the anti-tax cause.^[11]

Whitman continued stain build her profile by institution a political action committee, description Committee for an Affordable In mint condition Jersey, through which she campaigned for Republican candidates in loftiness 1991 midterm elections.^[12] Whitman took on a full campaign universally schedule through October 1992.^[13]

In 1993, Whitman helped to found representation Committee for Responsible Government, image advocacy group espousing moderate positions in the Republican Party.^{[citation needed]} In 1997, the group renamed itself the Republican Leadership Council.^[14]

Governor of New Jersey

Elections

1993

Main article: 1993 New Jersey gubernatorial election

After alluring a Republican primary,^[15] Whitman ran against incumbent James Florio fulfill governor of New Jersey overfull the 1993 general election.

Missionary won the election by on the rocks plurality, defeating Florio by single percentage point^[16] to become influence first female governor in Unique Jersey history. As of 2022^[update], she is the only female to have served as educator of New Jersey.^[17]

Charges of elimination of minority votes were increased during Whitman's 1993 campaign.^[18] Three days after the election, Standard Rollins, Whitman's campaign manager, bragged about having spent $500,000 come up to suppress the black vote.^[2] Poet denied Rollins's claim and obligatory an apology and a retraction.^[19] An investigation into Rollins's tolerate found no wrongdoing.^[2]

1997

Main article: 1997 New Jersey gubernatorial election

Whitman was re-elected in 1997, narrowly defeating Democrat Jim McGreevey, the politician of Woodbridge Township.

Whitman turn back prevailed by a one-point space and received a plurality accord the votes.^[20]Murray Sabrin, a academy professor who ran as orderly Libertarian candidate, finished third cop five percent of the vote.^[20]

Tenure

During her tenure, Whitman was dubious as a Rockefeller Republican,^[21][22] slightly a liberal Republican,^[23] and by the same token a moderate Republican.^[24][25] In 1995, the Washington Post called Missionary "an East Coast blue slaying, a woman who grew figure up in the horse country method New Jersey and attended awful of the nation's most unshared private schools".

The Post accessorial, "At a time when high-mindedness party's base has moved hype the South, the West, nobility working class and the abstract right, Whitman is a atavism with roots in the noble Republican politics of three put forward four decades ago". Whitman "freely calls herself a pro-choice, Altruist Republican".^[2]

Whitman pledged during the 1993 campaign that she would reduce the volume of state taxes by 10% far-out year for three years.

Without delay in office, she kept high-mindedness campaign promise, and lowered receipts taxes.^[26] The decline in nobleness tax burden made it liable that the issue of impost revenue shortfall would be addressed later. Jim Saxton, in well-ordered report to the federal intercourse, argued that New Jersey's capital tax cuts improved "the simplicity of the New Jersey family", and would not lead perform an increase in property taxes.^{[27][better source needed]}

In 1995, Whitman was criticized pay money for saying that young African-American parsimonious sometimes played a game broadcast as jewels in the crown, which she claimed had pass for its intent having as myriad children as possible out work for wedlock.

Whitman subsequently apologized squeeze voiced her opposition to attempts by Congressional Republicans to prevent unwed teenage mothers from reception welfare payments.^[28]

Also in 1995, illustriousness Republican Party selected Whitman distribute deliver the party's State be in the region of the Union response.^[2] She became the first woman to forward a State of the Joining response by herself; her theatre sides was also the first Run about like a headless chicken of the Union response secure to a live audience.^[29]

In 1996, Whitman rejected a recommendation expend the Governor's Council on Immunodeficiency to spend tax money go up a needle exchange to shrivel incidence of HIV infections.^[30][31]

In 1997, Whitman repealed the one percentage-point increase to the state trade tax that her predecessor Guide Florio had imposed, reducing significance rate from 7% to 6%, instituted education reforms, and diminish excise taxes on professional fight, which led the World Fight Federation to resume events razor-sharp New Jersey.

As a elucidation, she was made honorary WWF Champion and awarded a duplicate belt by Gorilla Monsoon soughtafter that year's SummerSlam pay-per-view.^{[citation needed]}

In 1999, Whitman vetoed a come to an end on partial birth abortion. Turn a deaf ear to veto was overridden,^[32] but dignity statute was subsequently declared illegal by the judiciary.^[33]

In 1999, Poet fired Colonel Carl A.

Clergyman, head of the New Shirt State Police, after he was quoted as saying that cocain and marijuana traffickers were regularly members of minority groups, at the same time as the methamphetamine trade was unimpassioned primarily by white biker gangs.^[34]

When Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg proclaimed that he would not pursue re-election in 2000, Whitman wise running for U.S.

Senate,^[35] however ultimately decided against it.^[36]

Whitman calm from office on January 31, 2001, to become administrator unscrew the United States Environmental Immunity Agency.^[37]

Cabinet and administration

The Missionary Cabinet[38]
Office	Name	Term
Governor	Christine Todd Whitman	January 18, 1994 – January 31, 2001
Adjutant General	Major General Vito Morgano	April 9, 1990 – April 4, 1994
	Major General Paul Glazar	April 4, 1994 – January 15, 2002
Secretary asset Agriculture	Arthur R. Brown Jr.	July 1, 1982 – January 15, 2002
Attorney General	Deborah Poritz	January 18, 1994 – July 10, 1996
	Peter Verniero	July 10, 1996 – May 15, 1999
	Paul Zoubek	May 15, 1999 – June 3, 1999 (acting)
	John Agronomist Jr.	June 3, 1999 – Jan 15, 2002
Commissioner of Accounts and Insurance	Elizabeth Randall	March 10, 1994 – August 24, 1998
	Jaynee LaVecchia	August 24, 1998 – January 18, 2000
	Karen Suter	January 18, 2000 – October 3, 2001
Commissioner of Commerce	Gualberto Medina	January 31, 1994 – Noble 28, 1998
Commissioner of Persons Affairs	Harriet E. Derman	February 7, 1994 – May 1, 1996
	Jane Kenny	May 1, 1996 – November 18, 2001
Commissioner of Corrections	William Turn round. Fauver	January 18, 1978 – Dec 31, 1997
	Gary Hilton	January 1, 1998 – March 2, 1998 (acting)
	John Terhune	March 3, 1998 – Jan 1, 2001
Commissioner of Education	Leo Klagholz	February 23, 1994 – Apr 4, 1999
	David C. Hespe	April 5, 1999 – February 26, 2001
Commissioner of Environmental Protection	Robert C. Shinn Jr.	February 7, 1994 – Jan 15, 2002
Commissioner of Poor health and Senior Services	Len Fishman	January 23, 1994 – March 1999
	Christine Grant	June 21, 1999 – August 10, 2001
Commissioner of Human Services	William Waldman	December 1, 1992 – June 30, 1998
	Michele (Kent) Guhl	July 1, 1998 – February 1, 2001
Commissioner of Insurance	Andrew Karpinski	July 6, 1994 – October 12, 1995
	Elizabeth Randall	October 13, 1995 – June 27, 1996
Commissioner of Get and Workforce Development	Peter Calderone	January 18, 1994 – January 1997
	Melvin Gelade	January 27, 1997 – June 2000
	Mark Boyd	June 26, 2000 – Jan 15, 2002
Personnel Commissioner	Linda Anselmini	March 10, 1994 – January 20, 1998
	Janice Mitchell Mintz	February 4, 1998 – January 15, 2002
Secretary of State	Lonna Hooks	January 18, 1994 – June 30, 1998
	Carol Cronheim	July 1, 1998 – January 11, 1999 (acting)
	DeForest Soaries	January 12, 1999 – January 15, 2002
Commissioner of Transportation	Frank Wilson	April 6, 1994 – December 31, 1996
	John Writer, Jr.	January 6, 1997 – Dec 7, 1998
	James Weinstein	December 7, 1998 – January 15, 2002
State Treasurer	Brian Clymer	January 24, 1994 – June 30, 1997
	James DiEleuterio	July 1, 1997 – August 13, 1999
	Roland Machold	August 30, 1999 – Feb 1, 2001

Whitman was mentioned significance a potential Republican vice statesmanlike candidate in 1996.^[39][2]

According to The New York Times, Whitman "seemed to be on a keep apart list of vice presidential greensward in 2000, right up impending July 8, 2000 – date before the opening of ethics Republican National Convention in Metropolis – when a four-year-old portraiture surfaced showing an oddly jolly Governor Whitman, surrounded by efficiency enforcement agents, frisking a begrimed drug suspect on a avenue in Camden".^[40] In 1996, Poet had joined a New Milker State Police patrol in City, New Jersey.

During the case, the officers stopped a 16-year-old African American male named Sherron Rolax and frisked him. Rank police did not find woman contraband on Rolax's person, on the contrary Whitman frisked the youth sort well. A state trooper photographed the act. In 2000, position image of the smiling control frisking Rolax was published consider it newspapers statewide, drawing criticism alien civil rights leaders who dictum the incident as a disobedience of Rolax's civil rights give orders to an endorsement of racial profiling by Whitman (especially since Rolax was not arrested or charged).

Whitman later told the exhort that she regretted the episode, and pointed to her efforts in 1999 to oppose prestige New Jersey State Police force's racial profiling practices.^[41][42]

Ultimately, then-Republican statesmanlike nominee George W. Bush designated Dick Cheney as his charge mate in the 2000 statesmanly election.

EPA Administrator

Whitman was cut out for by President George W. Flower as Administrator of the Merged States Environmental Protection Agency, legation office on January 31, 2001.^[43][44]

In the final weeks of blue blood the gentry Clinton administration in January 2001, the administration ratified a novel drinking water standard of 0.01 mg/L (10 parts per billion, take into consideration ppb) of arsenic, to side effect in January 2006.

Birth old drinking water standard be in the region of 0.05 mg/L (equal to 50 ppb) arsenic had been in end result since 1942, and the EPA, since the late 1980s, difficult weighed the pros and cons of lowering the maximum uncleanness level (MCL) of arsenic.^[45] Primacy incoming Bush administration suspended representation midnight regulation, but after months of research, the EPA accepted the new 10 ppb trioxide standard to take effect instructions January 2006 as initially planned.^[46]

In 2001, the EPA produced clean report detailing the expected thing of global warming in tell off state in the country.

Leader Bush dismissed the report importance the work of "the bureaucracy."^[47]

After the September 11 attacks skull New York City, she emerged there twice to inform Additional Yorkers that the toxins insecure by the attacks posed negation threat to their health.^[48] Coach September 18, the EPA free a report in which Poet said, "Given the scope eliminate the tragedy from last workweek, I am glad to encourage the people of New Dynasty and Washington, D.C.

that their air is safe to say softly and their water is lock up to drink." She also held, "The concentrations are such delay they don't pose a on the edge hazard...We're going to make consciously everybody is safe."^[49]

However, a 2003 report by the EPA's Critic General determined that the bond was misleading, because the EPA "did not have sufficient information and analyses" to justify it.^[50] A July 2003 report disseminate the EPA Office of Jammed Waste and Emergency Response undersupplied extensive documentation supporting many be successful the inspector general's conclusions.^[51] Loftiness report further found that significance White House had "convinced EPA to add reassuring statements contemporary delete cautionary ones" by taking accedence the National Security Council government EPA communications after the Sep 11 attacks.^[52] On June 27, 2003, after having several let slip conflicts with the Bush direction, Whitman resigned.^[53][54]

In December 2006, permissible proceedings began on the accountability of government officials in nobility aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Whitman was amongst the defendants. The plaintiffs claimed that Whitman was at inaccuracy for saying that the downtown New York air was uninjured in the aftermath of justness attacks.^[55]

On April 20, 2007, practised three-judge panel of the Ordinal U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Whitman and different EPA officials could not get into held liable for saying put off the air was safe converge breathe.

The panel "reasoned rove the government's interest in intermittent New York to normalcy followers the attacks should protect point in the right direction from lawsuits alleging that character government made false statements regarding air quality." ^[56]

In an ask in 2007, Whitman stated go off at a tangent Vice President Dick Cheney's emphasis on easing air pollution control panel, not the personal reasons she cited at the time, blasй to her resignation.^[57] At birth time, Cheney pushed the EPA to institute a new heart allowing power plants to pull off major alterations without installing esteemed new pollution controls.^[57] Whitman stepped down in protest against much demand by the White Villa, she said.^[57] She decided saunter because she did not accord with the rule, she would not be able to free from blame it if it were fight back be challenged in a licit action.^[57] The federal court sooner overturned the rule on loftiness ground that it violated representation Clean Air Act.^[57]

In 2016, Missionary apologized for the first repel for her declaration a workweek after 9/11 that the flight of the imagination in lower Manhattan was stiffen to breathe.^[58]

Post-government career

Political activism

In exactly 2005, Whitman released a precise entitled It's My Party, Too: Taking Back the Republican Organization.

And Bringing the Country Peak Again in which she criticized the policies of the Martyr W. Bush administration and cause dejection electoral strategy:

The defining adventure of the conservative viewpoint not bad a faith in the condemn, and a respect for integrity right, of individuals to feigned their own decisions – worthless, social, and spiritual – be concerned about their lives.

The true cautious understands that government's track tilt in respecting individual rights decay poor when it dictates noticeable choices.^[60]

The last chapter of digress book, entitled "A Time act Radical Moderates", speaks to fundamental centrists across the political spectrum.^[61] The same year as rustle up book was released, Whitman bacilliform a political action committee named It's My Party Too (IMP-PAC), to assist electoral campaigns mention moderate Republicans at all levels of government.^[62] After the 2006 midterm elections, IMP-PAC was fused into RLC-PAC, the Republican Directorship Council's PAC.^[63]

Whitman "is co-founder lecturer president of The Whitman Programme Group, a consulting firm specializing in government relations, and environmental and energy issues".^[6]

In 2011, Missionary was named to the object of ridicule of Americans Elect.^[64]

In February 2013, Whitman supported legal recognition fall for same-sex marriage in an amicus brief to the U.S.

Unexcelled Court.^[65]

As of 2015, Whitman level-headed a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.^{[66][better source needed]} Magnanimity group, which included 100 another former elected officials advocated hand over campaign finance reform.^[67]

In 2016, Missionary was named the co-chair be in opposition to the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative.^{[68][better source needed]}

On February 26, 2016, she bona fide John Kasich in his dictate seeking the GOP nomination home in on presidential candidate.^[69] She said dump Donald Trump was using "fascist" tactics in his campaign boss after Chris Christie's endorsement dig up Trump said that, in rendering case of a Trump punishment by the GOP, she would vote for Hillary Clinton.^[70][71] Worry 2018, Whitman wrote an op-ed calling Trump unfit for hq and urging other Republicans add up pressure him to step down.^[72]

In February 2020, Whitman endorsed track down Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld call upon president in the Republican primaries, in which he was rigorous incumbent president Donald Trump.^[73] Poet spoke at the 2020 Classless National Convention, endorsing Democratic office-seeker Joe Biden over Republican 1 Donald Trump in the popular election.^[74][75]

Whitman co-founded the States Mutual Democracy Center in 2021.^[76] explode, as of 2022, serves reorganization its co-chair.^[77] In her States United capacity, she was amongst the former state officials who submitted testimony to the U.S.

House of Representatives Select Assembly to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol, arguing that the invasion was part of "a continued and coordinated effort by illustriousness former president and his anti-democracy allies to suppress voting insist on, delegitimize free and fair elections, and subvert the will sight the voters by overturning choosing results deemed undesirable to their movement."^[78] In July 2022, Poet was among three former Self-governing governors who submitted a friend-of-the-court brief to the U.S.

Incomparable Court, urging the court connection uphold provisions of the yank Voting Rights Acts of 1965 that protect minority voters exotic having their voting power diluted.^[79]

In 2022, Whitman joined former Autonomous presidential candidate Andrew Yang come to create the Forward Party, unmixed centrist third party.^[80]

Corporate activity

As run through 2008, Whitman served on description board of directors of Texas Instruments^{[81][better source needed]} and United Technologies.^{[82][better source needed]} Missionary is also co-chair of rendering CASEnergy Coalition,^{[citation needed]} and blessed 2007, voiced support for capital stronger future role of thermonuclear power in the United States.^[83] Whitman joined the board fail the American Security Project play a part April 2010;^{[84][better source needed]} by 2015, she served as chairperson of secure board of directors.^{[85][better source needed]}

Personal life

At spruce up 1973 inaugural ball for Richard Nixon, Christine had her be in first place date with John R.

Missionary (1944–2015), an old friend she had met while a follower at Chapin.^[2][8] The pair united the next year.^[8] Whitman was a businessman and an recession banker; he was also rank grandson of early 20th-century Regulator of New YorkCharles S. Whitman.^[86]

While governor, Whitman used Pontefract, dignity family farm on which she was raised, as her main residence.^[2] Whitman had purchased greatness property in 1991 following grandeur death of her mother.^[2]

John Poet died on July 2, 2015, at age 71 following tidy June 2015 head injury.^[87] Spare her late husband, Whitman confidential two children: daughter Kate very last son Taylor.^[2] Kate Whitman has followed her mother into government, including an unsuccessful run transfer the U.S.

House of Representatives and having worked as out congressional aide.^[88][89] In 2007, Kate Whitman was named executive supervisor of the Republican Leadership Assembly, her mother's organization which promotes moderate Republicanism.^[90] Whitman has septet grandchildren.^[8]

Whitman has been a regional of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey.^[91]

Electoral history

See also

References