Alan Keyes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alan Keyes
Keyes in 2015
16th Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
In office November 13, 1985 – November 17, 1987
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Gregory J. Newell
Succeeded by	Richard S. Williamson
Personal details
Born	Alan Lee Keyes (1950-08-07) August 7, 1950 (age 74) New York City, U.S.
Political party	Republican (before 2008, 2012–present)
Other political affiliations	Constitution (2008) America's Independent Party (2008–2012)
Spouse	Jocelyn Marcel ​ (m. 1979)​
Children	3, including Maya
Education	Cornell University Harvard University (AB, AM, PhD)

Alan Lee Keyes (born August 7, 1950) is an American politician and political scientist. He worked as a diplomat and later ran for president several times. He was the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from 1985 to 1987. This job meant he helped the United States work with international groups.

Keyes is a member of the Republican Party. He tried to become the Republican candidate for President of the United States in 1996, 2000, and 2008.

He earned a PhD from Harvard University. Keyes started his career in the U.S. Foreign Service in 1979. He worked in the U.S. consulates in Mumbai, India, and later in Zimbabwe. President Ronald Reagan appointed him as an Ambassador to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. He later became Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.

Keyes also ran for the U.S. Senate in Maryland in 1988 and 1992. He ran again in Illinois in 2004 against Barack Obama. He did not win any of these Senate elections.

Keyes hosted a radio show called The Alan Keyes Show: America's Wake-Up Call. This show was on air from 1994 to 1998. He also briefly hosted a TV show on MSNBC in 2002. It was called Alan Keyes Is Making Sense. He writes columns for World Net Daily.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up and School

Alan Keyes was born in New York City on August 7, 1950. He was the fifth child of Gerthina and Allison L. Keyes. His father was a U.S. Army sergeant and a teacher. Because of his father's military duties, the family moved often. Keyes lived in many states, including Georgia, Maryland, and New York. He also lived overseas in Italy.

After high school, Keyes went to Cornell University. He was part of the Cornell University Glee Club. He studied political philosophy there. He said that professor Allan Bloom influenced him the most. Keyes left Cornell and spent a year studying in Paris.

University Studies

Keyes continued his studies at Harvard University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in government in 1972. He graduated with high honors. He then earned his PhD in government from Harvard in 1979. His main research was about Alexander Hamilton and how the U.S. Constitution works.

Keyes was not drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. This was due to student deferments. However, his family strongly supported the war. His father served two tours of duty. Keyes supported his father and brothers who were fighting in the war.

Early Career

Working as a Diplomat

Before finishing his PhD, Keyes joined the United States Department of State. This was in 1979. He was first sent to work at the U.S. consulate in Mumbai, India. The next year, he worked at the U.S. embassy in Zimbabwe.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan chose Keyes to be an Ambassador. He worked with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. In 1985, he became Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations. He held this job until 1987.

President Reagan praised Keyes's work as an ambassador. He said Keyes did an "extraordinary job" defending the U.S. against anti-American views. Reagan called him a "stout-hearted defender of a strong America."

Other Roles in Government

In 1987, Keyes became a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. This is a research group. He studied diplomacy and international relations there.

After his government service, Keyes led Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW). This group works to stop wasteful government spending. He was president from 1989 to 1991. In 1991, he also served as Interim President of Alabama A&M University.

Keyes in the Reagan Administration

Keyes was part of the U.S. team at the 1984 World Population Conference in Mexico City. President Reagan chose him as deputy chairman. Keyes also worked against a UN resolution. This resolution called for an investigation of Israeli settlements. The U.S. and Israel were the only two countries to vote against it. Reagan also appointed Keyes to represent the U.S. at the 1985 Women's Conference in Nairobi.

During his time at the United States Department of State, Keyes defended Reagan's policy. This policy did not impose economic penalties on South Africa for apartheid. Apartheid was a system of racial segregation. Keyes argued that UN penalties could cause many Black South Africans to lose their jobs.

Political Career

Senate Elections

In 1988, the Maryland Republican Party asked Keyes to run for the United States Senate. He received 38 percent of the votes. He ran against the winner, Democrat Paul Sarbanes.

Four years later, in 1992, he ran for Senate again in Maryland. He won the Republican primary election. But he lost the general election to Democrat Barbara Mikulski. He received 29 percent of the votes.

In 2004, Keyes ran for Senate in Illinois. He was called a "carpetbagger" by some. This means he was running in a state where he had never lived. Keyes said he felt a moral duty to run after the Illinois Republican Party asked him. He lost this election to Barack Obama. Keyes received 27% of the vote.

Presidential Campaigns

Keyes ran for president in 1996. He was very critical of President Bill Clinton. He also had strong opinions about other Republican candidates.

Keyes campaign logo

He ran for president again in 2000. In Iowa, he finished third. He stayed in the race and debated John McCain and George W. Bush. He finished second in eight primary elections. His best result was in Utah, where he got 20 percent of the votes.

2004 campaign logo

The results of the 2004 Illinois Senate Election: Counties won by Obama are in blue, and counties won by Keyes are in red.

We Need Alan Keyes for President booth in Iowa, August 2007

Keyes ran for president a third time in 2008. He officially announced his candidacy in September 2007. He participated in some debates. In a poll of the audience at one debate, he placed third.

Keyes at a 2008 presidential campaign rally

During a debate about global warming, he joked about politicians. He said the most important "emission" to control was "hot air emission of politicians."

In the Iowa caucuses, Keyes did not appear on many election totals. His campaign said this was partly because he entered the race late.

Keyes supports an amendment to the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. He said he would not have gone to war in Iraq. But he also said the war was justified. He thought troops should stay in Iraq.

After the early states, Keyes campaigned mostly in Texas. He finished with 0.60 percent of the votes there. He later considered leaving the Republican Party. He then sought the nomination of the Constitution Party. He came in second for their nomination.

Keyes then formed America's Independent Party. This was a part of the American Independent Party. In the general election on November 4, 2008, Keyes received 47,694 votes nationally. He finished seventh. Most of his votes were in California.

Media and Advocacy

Keyes being interviewed during a 2009 Tea Party rally in Indiana

Keyes has worked as a media commentator. In 1994, he started hosting a syndicated radio show. It was called The Alan Keyes Show: America's Wake-Up Call. The show was also shown on cable TV in 1997. Keyes also helped start online groups like Renew America.

Keyes has been on the board of advisors for the Catholic League. This is a Catholic advocacy group. In 1997, he criticized the TV show Nothing Sacred. He called it "propaganda dressed up as entertainment."

In 2002, he hosted a TV show on MSNBC called Alan Keyes Is Making Sense. The network canceled the show due to low ratings. Keyes strongly supported Israel on his show. In July 2002, Israel gave him a special honor for his reporting.

In 2003, Keyes defended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. Moore had publicly displayed the Ten Commandments in a state building. Keyes argued that the U.S. Constitution allowed states to display monuments that show religious beliefs.

In 2005, Keyes tried to get involved in the Terri Schiavo case. He argued that Schiavo's life was protected by Florida law. He believed Governor Jeb Bush had the power to order her feeding tubes reinserted.

Keyes at a rally in 2012

In November 2006, Keyes criticized Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. He said Romney acted on his own to allow same-sex marriage. Keyes believed Romney misunderstood his role as governor.

In 2010, About.com named Keyes one of the top conservatives to follow on Twitter. During the 2016 presidential election, Keyes was a strong critic of Donald Trump. After Trump's election, Keyes both criticized and praised some of Trump's policies.

Personal Life

Keyes is married to Jocelyn Marcel Keyes. She is from Calcutta, India. They have three children: Francis, Maya, and Andrew. Keyes is a traditional Catholic. He is also a third-degree Knight of Columbus. He was a close friend of Brazilian philosopher Olavo de Carvalho.

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See Also

In Spanish: Alan Keyes para niños

• List of African-American United States Senate candidates
• List of African-American United States presidential and vice presidential candidates