Thomas Kean facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Kean
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Kean in 2018
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| President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York | |
| Acting April 15, 2021 – January 2023 Served with Janet L. Robinson |
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| Preceded by | Vartan Gregorian |
| Succeeded by | Louise Richardson |
| Chair of the 9/11 Commission | |
| In office December 15, 2002 – August 21, 2004 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Deputy | Lee Hamilton |
| Preceded by | Henry Kissinger |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| 10th President of Drew University | |
| In office 1990–2005 |
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| Preceded by | Paul Hardin III |
| Succeeded by | Robert Weisbuch |
| 48th Governor of New Jersey | |
| In office January 19, 1982 – January 16, 1990 |
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| Preceded by | Brendan Byrne |
| Succeeded by | James Florio |
| Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly | |
| In office 1972–1973 |
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| Preceded by | Barry T. Parker |
| Succeeded by | S. Howard Woodson |
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly | |
| In office 1968 – 1978 Served with Philip Kaltenbacher (1967–1974) Jane Burgio (1974–1977) |
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| Preceded by | Proportional representation |
| Succeeded by | Frederic Remington |
| Constituency | 11-F (1968–1972) 11-E (1972–1974) 25th (1974–1978) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Howard Kean
April 21, 1935 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Deborah Bye
(m. 1967; died 2020) |
| Children | 3, including Tom Jr. |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) Columbia University (MA) |
Thomas Howard Kean (born April 21, 1935) is an American politician and academic leader from New Jersey. He is a member of the Republican Party. Kean served as the 48th Governor of New Jersey for two terms, from 1982 to 1990.
He comes from a family of politicians. His father, Robert Kean, was a U.S. Representative. His grandfather, Hamilton Fish Kean, was a U.S. Senator. After college, Thomas Kean worked as a history teacher. He later earned a master's degree.
Kean served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1968 to 1978. He was also the Speaker of the Assembly from 1972 to 1973. In 1981, Kean was elected governor of New Jersey. He was re-elected in 1985. He was known as a popular governor who helped promote tourism in New Jersey.
After being governor, Kean became president of Drew University from 1990 to 2005. Following the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush chose Kean to lead the 9/11 Commission. This group investigated the attacks. In 2004, the commission released its findings in the 9/11 Commission Report.
Thomas Kean is the father of U.S. Representative Thomas Kean Jr..
Contents
Early Life and Education
Thomas Kean was born in New York City. His family had a long history in New Jersey politics. His mother was Elizabeth Stuyvesant Howard. His father, Robert Kean, was a U.S. Representative from 1939 to 1959. Kean's grandfather, Hamilton Fish Kean, and great-uncle, John Kean, were both U.S. Senators from New Jersey. He is also related to William Livingston, New Jersey's first governor.
Kean attended The Potomac School in Virginia. He then went to St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. At age eleven, he enrolled at St. Mark's School in Massachusetts. This was the same school his father and older brothers attended.
After St. Mark's, Kean went to Princeton University. He studied history and graduated in 1957. He wrote his senior paper about Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz. After college, Kean taught history for three years. He then earned his master's degree in history from Teachers College at Columbia University.
New Jersey General Assembly Service
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In 1967, Kean was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly. He ran as a moderate Republican. He served with Philip D. Kaltenbacher. In 1972, Kean was elected as the Assembly Speaker. This was a big role in the state's government.
In 1973, Kean briefly served as acting New Jersey governor. In 1974, he ran for Congress but did not win. During the 1976 presidential campaign, Kean managed Gerald Ford's campaign in New Jersey.
Governor of New Jersey
1977 Election Campaign
In 1977, Kean first ran for the Republican nomination for governor. He lost to Raymond Bateman. Bateman then lost the general election to Brendan Byrne.
After this election, Governor Byrne appointed Kean to the New Jersey Highway Authority board. Kean also worked as a political commentator on New Jersey public television.
1981 Election Campaign
Four years later, in 1981, Kean ran for governor again. He promised to create jobs, clean up toxic waste sites, reduce crime, and protect local government. This time, he received support from former U.S. President Gerald Ford.
In the 1981 election, Kean won against Democratic Representative Jim Florio. It was the closest election in New Jersey's history, with Kean winning by only 1,797 votes.
1985 Re-election Campaign
In contrast to his close win in 1981, Kean won re-election in 1985 by a huge margin. He defeated Peter Shapiro with 70% of the votes. Kean won almost every town in the state.
Time as Governor (1982-1990)
As governor, Kean worked on education policy. He chaired the Education Commission of the States. He also led the National Governors Association's Task Force on Teaching.
Kean gained national attention for promoting New Jersey tourism. He appeared in TV commercials that aired across the country. In these ads, sometimes with celebrities like Brooke Shields, he said the state's motto: "New Jersey and You: Perfect Together." This campaign helped boost tourism.
In 1988, Kean gave the main speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention. He also wrote a book called The Politics of Inclusion.
Kean helped found and fund the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. This is one of the nation's largest performing arts centers. He believed it would help revitalize Newark and strengthen the state.
He worked well with both political parties. He also supported civil rights. He removed New Jersey's public funds from South Africa during apartheid. He also supported the statewide holiday for Martin Luther King Jr..
In January 1990, Kean's time as governor ended. New Jersey governors cannot serve more than two terms in a row. James Florio succeeded him.
Governor's Legacy
When Kean left office in 1990, he was one of New Jersey's most popular political figures. Many important New Jersey leaders in the 1990s and 2000s started their careers in Kean's government.
Rutgers University–New Brunswick's Center on the American Governor created the Thomas H. Kean Archive. This archive holds records from his time as governor.
President of Drew University
In 1990, after being governor, Kean became President of Drew University. This is a university in Madison, New Jersey. During his time as president, applications to Drew increased by over 40 percent. The university's funding nearly tripled. More than $60 million was spent on new buildings and renovations.
Kean often ate lunch with students in the dining hall. He also regularly attended Drew sporting events. He served as Drew's president until 2005. He also taught a special political science class at the university.
National Policy Leadership
After his time as governor, Kean started sharing his views on foreign policy. He supported free trade efforts by the George H. W. Bush administration. He also believed the U.S. should continue to help groups fighting for democracy.
Kean was appointed to several important foreign policy groups. These included the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). He also served as co-chair of the National Security Preparedness Group (NSPG).
Other Work and Activities
Corporate Board Memberships
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Kean has served as chairman of several important organizations. These include The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which is a large health charity. He also chaired the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He has been a board member for companies like Aramark, UnitedHealth Group, and Hess Corporation.
Columnist
From 1995 to 2018, Kean wrote a weekly column for The Star-Ledger newspaper. He co-authored the column, called "Kean-Byrne Dialogue," with former New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne. They wrote about current issues.
Alpha Phi Omega and Quad Partners
Kean is an advisor for Alpha Phi Omega, a national service group. He is also a partner in Quad Partners. This company invests in the education industry.
Chair of the 9/11 Commission
After the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, there was a strong call for an independent group to investigate. This group would find out why the attacks were not stopped. It would also suggest ways to prevent future attacks. This group became known as the 9/11 Commission. It was a very important commission in U.S. history.
Kean was chosen to lead this commission. His appointment and the commission's work gained a lot of attention worldwide.
Leading the Commission and Final Report
In December 2003, as the 9/11 Commission finished its work, Kean said the attacks could have been prevented. He stated that the government should have acted sooner against al-Qaeda.
On July 22, 2004, the Commission released its final report. The 9/11 Commission Report was 585 pages long. It concluded that the CIA and the FBI did not do enough to predict or prevent the attacks. The report stated that the attacks were preventable.
Later Work Related to 9/11
On August 15, 2006, Kean and Commission Vice Chair Lee H. Hamilton released a book. It was called Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission. In the book, they wrote about the commission's challenges.
The commission met again in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2014. This was for the tenth anniversary of their report. They reviewed how well the government was doing to prevent terrorist threats. They also checked if their recommendations were being followed.
Awards and Recognition
Kean has received over 30 honorary degrees. He also has many awards from environmental and educational groups. Some of his awards include:
- The Four Freedoms Award
- NAACP's "Man of the Year" award
- The Senator John Heinz Award for Public Service
- The Global Interdependence Center's Frederick Heldring Global Leadership Award
- The Voice of September 11 Building Bridges Award
- The National Wildlife Federation's "Conservation Achievement Award"
- The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation's "Visionary Leadership Award"
- The American Institute for Public Service's Jefferson Award for Public Service
In 2009, New York Waterways named a ferry Governor Thomas Kean in his honor. On January 15, 2009, this ferry helped rescue people. It saved two dozen individuals when US Airways Flight 1549 landed on the Hudson River.
In 2013, Kean was added to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
Thomas Kean met his future wife, Deborah Bye, at a party in Manhattan. They started dating in October 1966. They married on June 3, 1967, in Odessa, Delaware. The couple had three children: a daughter named Alexandra, and twin sons, Tom Jr. and Reed.
Kean moved to Livingston, New Jersey in 1967. As of 2015, he lived in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Deborah Kean passed away on April 24, 2020, at age 76. The Keans had been married for 53 years.
Images for kids
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Kean speaking at the United States Institute of Peace in April 2019
