Doug Wead

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Doug Wead is a presidential historian, philanthropist and public speaker. He was Special Assistant to former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and is the author of more than thirty books, including the New York Times best-seller All the Presidents’ Children: Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of the First Families.[1] He has authored a sequel which examines the parenting of presidents of the United States, The Raising of a President: The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders.[2]

Contents

[edit] Professional history

In 1979, Doug Wead joined entertainer Pat Boone and Dan O’Neill in co-founding Mercy Corps. In 1991, Wead provided initial funding to help launch a Mercy Corps economic recovery program in the newly formed Republic of Kazakhstan. [3]

In the 1980s, Wead organized the Annual Charity Awards, now under the name, International Charity Association. [4] Ten First Ladies and Presidents have served as honorary chairpersons of this prestigious event, including Lady Bird Johnson, Gerald Ford, Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, George H. W. and Barbara Bush, and George W. and Laura Bush.

In 1992, Wead was the Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Arizona's 6th Congressional District. Despite having lived in Arizona for only a few years, Wead won the Republican nomination after championing a tax limitation initiative and airing a television commercial featuring praise by former President Ronald Reagan for his humanitarian efforts.[5] He lost in the general election to the Democratic nominee, Karan English.[6]

Wead was an active behind-the-scenes player in the 2000 United States presidential election, receiving some credit for George W. Bush's victory in the Iowa straw polls of 1999.[7] From 1984 to 2000, he served as an on-and-off adviser to both Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.

Time magazine called Mr. Wead an insider in the Bush family orbit and "the man who coined the phrase 'Compassionate Conservative'".[8] George W. Bush first picked up the term, “Compassionate Conservative,” in 1987, from his then aide Doug Wead. [9] In 1979, Wead had given a speech entitled “The Compassionate Conservative” at the annual Charity Awards Dinner. Tapes of the speech were sold across the country at corporate seminars.[10]

In March of 2008 Wead helped create the website Religious Freedom In America[11], focusing on government threats to religious observance.

[edit] Public speaking

As a presidential historian, Wead is a frequent guest on television shows. He has been interviewed by Matt Lauer on The Today Show, Bill O'Reilly of The O'Reilly Factor, Connie Chung on a CNN Special, Debra Norville on MSNBC, Diane Sawyer on ABC's Good Morning America, and others. He was interviewed by Dan Rather on The CBS Evening News on the first night of the Gulf War.[citation needed]

Mark Victor Hansen, the author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, describes Doug Wead as "incredibly inspiring and unbelievably motivating." [12]. Wead continues to speak around the world. He has spoken to audiences in thirty countries, including Russia, Poland, Hungary, France, Germany, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Brazil and across the United States. [13] Steve Siebold, who trains corporate speakers for clients ranging from Toyota to Coldwell Banker, describes Doug Wead as "one of the greatest platform speakers in the world." [14]

[edit] Books

Wead has written more than 30 books that have been translated into thirty languages and have sold millions of copies. [15]

[edit] "First families" trilogy

In his research of presidential families, he has interviewed ten first ladies and presidents from six different presidential families, and nineteen of the presidential children. His trilogy, already twenty years in the making, covers presidential children, presidential parents, and presidential siblings. The first two books of the trilogy, All the President's Children (2004) and The Raising of a President (2006), were instant New York Times bestsellers. The third book, now being written with Mary Achor, will be the first book about presidential siblings.

[edit] Political books

In the 1970s and 1980's Wead wrote several instant books. Two of these, Reagan in Pursuit of the Presidency (1980) and The Iran Crisis (1980), were best sellers on their respective subjects.[citation needed]

[edit] Religious books

Wead wrote as a Protestant apologist for the Catholic Charismatic Movement at the age of 22. Books written around this time include Tonight They’ll Kill a Catholic (1974) and Compassionate Touch (1980).

[edit] Motivational books

Beginning in the 1970s, Wead wrote many motivational and network marketing books that sold extensively. Wead was the co-author of numerous titles with Amway distributor Dexter Yager, including Don’t Let Anyone Steal Your Dream (1978) and Millionaire Mentality (1993).

[edit] George W. Bush taping controversy

In 1987 Doug Wead began tape recording members of the Bush family, with their permission, providing an historical record of the family. [16] George Bush: Man of Integrity, which includes accounts of all family members, was published in 1988, written primarily from these taped conversations. [17]

In February, 2005, the New York Times revealed that Wead's taping had continued. Between 1997-2000 Wead reportedly recorded nine hours of telephone conversations with then Governor George W. Bush as he engaged in his presidential run. Wead stated he wanted to create an ongoing record of Bush as a historical figure; it was his intention that the tapes never become public but be available for his own research and writing. Wead was offered millions of dollars for the tapes but turned down all offers, stating that his personal friendship with Bush was "more important than history." He said he would have the tapes turned over to the president, stating, "I would rather be a good man with mediocre book sales, than mediocre man with big book sales." In February, 2005, the White House announced that the president had reached an agreement with Wead regarding the issue and the matter was closed. [18]

[edit] Other activities

Mr. Wead is also an independent business owner in partnership with Quixtar and Network TwentyOne. In 1995 he helped reopen Canyonville Christian Academy,[19] a private boarding school for teenagers in southern Oregon. For the first three years, Wead personally subsidized the school’s monthly budget. Since 2000, the school has enjoyed a full attendance and maintains an annual waiting list. He currently serves as its president.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wead: "All the presidents children", page 1. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, 2004
  2. ^ Wead: "The Raising of a President", page 1. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, 2006
  3. ^ Mercy Corps 2003 Annual Report
  4. ^ http://www.internationalcharityassociation.com
  5. ^ Biography on dougwead.com
  6. ^ Spiritus Temporis
  7. ^ “Wead Helps Keep the Faith in Politics” by Doug Burton, Insight Magazine, May 14, 2001
  8. ^ Time Magazine, Nov. 6, 2000, p. 63.
  9. ^ Jacob Weisberg, The Bush Tragedy, Random House, 2008. Page 92.
  10. ^ Jacob Weisberg, The Bush Tragedy, Random House, 2008. Page 93.
  11. ^ http://religiousfreedominamerica.org/
  12. ^ Doug Wead biography, Wead, 2008
  13. ^ http://www.markvictorhansen.com/detail.php?item_number=CD59
  14. ^ http://mentaltoughnessblog.com/?cat=5
  15. ^ http://www.sandypr.com/
  16. ^ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-808639651.html
  17. ^ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1288166.html
  18. ^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1089C4F205FA7B11&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
  19. ^ Canyonville

[edit] External links