Bruce Babbitt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bruce Babbitt
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Babbitt in 2019
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| 47th United States Secretary of the Interior | |
| In office January 22, 1993 – January 19, 2001 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Manuel Lujan |
| Succeeded by | Gale Norton |
| 16th Governor of Arizona | |
| In office March 4, 1978 – January 5, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Wesley Bolin |
| Succeeded by | Evan Mecham |
| 19th Attorney General of Arizona | |
| In office January 6, 1975 – March 4, 1978 |
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| Governor | Raúl Castro Wesley Bolin |
| Preceded by | N. Warner Lee |
| Succeeded by | Jack LaSota |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Bruce Edward Babbitt
June 27, 1938 Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Hattie Coons
(m. 1968) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Notre Dame (BS) Newcastle University (MSc) Harvard University (JD) |
Bruce Edward Babbitt (born June 27, 1938) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 47th Secretary of the Interior from 1993 to 2001. During this time, Bill Clinton was President.
Before that, he was the 16th Governor of Arizona from 1978 to 1987. He also ran for President of the United States in the 1988 Democratic Party elections.
Babbitt became Arizona attorney general after finishing law school. He then became Governor of Arizona when the previous governor, Wesley Bolin, passed away. He was elected for a full term in 1978 and again in 1982. As governor, he focused on improving taxes, health care, and how water was managed.
From 1988 to 1992, Babbitt led the League of Conservation Voters, a group that works to protect the environment. After leaving public office in 2001, Babbitt continued his career as a lawyer.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bruce Babbitt was born into a well-known family in Flagstaff, Arizona. His family owned a department store, a ranch, and several trading posts.
He went to the University of Notre Dame. Then, he studied in the United Kingdom at Newcastle University with a special scholarship. He later earned his law degree from Harvard Law School.
In 1968, he married Harriet Coons, who is known as Hattie. She is also a lawyer and served as a U.S. Ambassador. She also worked for the United States Agency for International Development.
Political Career in Arizona
Becoming Attorney General
In November 1974, Bruce Babbitt was elected as the Attorney General of Arizona. He won against the person who held the job before him.
Serving as Governor
Babbitt became governor on March 4, 1978, after Governor Wesley Bolin passed away. Arizona does not have a lieutenant governor. The Arizona Secretary of State is next in line, but the person holding that job at the time was not eligible. So, Babbitt, as attorney general, became governor.
He was then elected by the people for a full four-year term in 1978. He was re-elected in 1982. He decided not to run for a third full term in 1986.
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As governor, Babbitt helped with talks between local officials and a church group in 1982. In 1983, he sent the Arizona National Guard to help during a strike at a mining company.
In 1985, many people thought Babbitt would run for a U.S. Senate seat. However, he surprised everyone by announcing he would focus on running for president instead.
National Political Work
Presidential Campaign
Babbitt was a founding member of the Democratic Leadership Council. In 1985, he was the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. He decided to seek the Democratic Party's nomination for President in 1988.
One of his ideas was to create a national sales tax to help with the country's budget problems. He received good attention from the news. However, after not doing well in the first few primary elections, he decided to leave the race.
Secretary of the Interior
From 1993 to 2001, Bruce Babbitt served as the United States Secretary of the Interior. This department manages most of the country's federal lands and natural resources.
He worked to protect beautiful and historic areas across America. In 2000, Babbitt created the National Landscape Conservation System. This system helps manage special areas like U.S. National Monuments to keep them healthy and wild.
One big issue he faced was the low fees charged to ranchers who grazed their cattle on public lands. Babbitt tried to raise these fees, but senators from Western states stopped his plans.
President Clinton thought about nominating Babbitt to the United States Supreme Court in 1993 and 1994. However, other candidates were chosen instead.
In 1998, Babbitt was part of a federal investigation. It looked into whether he had lied about denying a casino license in Wisconsin. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in the final report.
Life After Politics
After leaving his government job in 2001, Babbitt became a lawyer at an international law firm. He worked in the environmental law department.
He has also served on the board of the World Wildlife Fund and the Amazon Conservation Association. These groups work to protect nature and wildlife around the world. Babbitt is also a member of Issue One's ReFormers Caucus.
See also
- Bill Clinton Supreme Court candidates
