Mike Leavitt

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Mike Leavitt
8th Secretary of Health and Human Services
In office January 26, 2005 – present
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Tommy Thompson
10th Administrator of the EPA
In office 2003 – 2005
Preceded by	Marianne Lamont Horinko
Succeeded by	Stephen L. Johnson
14th Governor of Utah
In office 1993 – 2003
Lieutenant	Olene S. Walker
Preceded by	Norman H. Bangerter
Succeeded by	Olene S. Walker
Born	February 11, 1951 (1951-02-11) (age 57) Cedar City, Utah
Political party	Republican
Religion	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Michael Okerlund Leavitt (born February 11, 1951 in Cedar City, Utah) is an American politician, and is currently the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

[edit] Career

A US Republican, Leavitt was the 14th Governor of the State of Utah. He was first elected in 1992, then he was re-elected in 1996 (with the largest vote total in state history) and in 2000 became only the second Governor in Utah history to be re-elected to a third term. As Governor, he held leadership positions in national and regional organizations, such as the Council of State Governments, over which he presided for a year.

While Governor, Leavitt and Roy Romer of Colorado were the two key founders of Western Governors University (WGU) one of the first exclusively online schools in the nation. In addition to Leavitt and Romer, seventeen others were signatory governors creating WGU as a non-profit private university.

On August 11, 2003, Governor Leavitt was nominated by President George W. Bush to be the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency at a press conference in Aurora, Colorado. He was confirmed to this office on October 28, 2003 by a vote of 88-8 in the United States Senate. Leavitt resigned the Utah governor's office on November 5. He was sworn in as the 10th Administrator of the EPA the following day. On December 13, 2004, Leavitt was nominated by Bush to succeed Tommy Thompson as Secretary of Health and Human Services and was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote on January 26, 2005.

Mr. Leavitt has described the avian influenza virus as the most serious threat to American security. Mr. Leavitt's cited the work of the World Health Organization's Dr. Michael McCoy as the most probative scientific work into the threat of the avian flu.

Leavitt also serves on the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

The Michael O. Leavitt Online Digital Collection is found at: http://www.leavittcollection.org

In August 2007, Leavitt became the first cabinet-level blogger in U.S. history.

[edit] Electoral history

• 2000 Race for Governor
  • Michael Leavitt (R) (inc.), 56%
  • Bill Orton (D), 42%

• 1996 Race for Governor
  • Michael Leavitt (R) (inc.), 75%
  • Jim Bradley (D), 23%

• 1992 Race for Governor
  • Michael Leavitt (R), 42%
  • Merrill Cook (I), 34%
  • Stewart Hanson (D), 23%

[edit] Controversy

[edit] Gulfstream

In June of 2006, Leavitt came under criticism for misappropriation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Gulfstream III Emergency Response aircraft to, primarily, promote the newly reformed Medicare plan.

Critics argue that Leavitt has irresponsibly used the aircraft since January of 2006, logging over $700,000 worth of flight time in the 14 seat private jet. Leavitt’s office maintains that the use of the aircraft was necessary and legal since the Senate Appropriations Committee approved his use of the aircraft, and commercial services could not meet the deadlines required by his engagements. During two recent emergencies that the CDC has required use of the aircraft, they were forced to privately charter a different plane since the CDC’s GIII was in use by Leavitt.[1]

[edit] Leavitt Foundation controversies

There has been controversy over Leavitt's family charitable foundation, the Dixie and Anne Leavitt Foundation, which the Leavitt family established in 2000 and to which it has donated nearly $9 million of assets. It has provided them with tax write-offs for the donated assets. About a third of the foundation's assets have been loaned back to family businesses, such as a $332,000 loan to Leavitt Land and Investment Inc., in which Mike Leavitt has a substantial interest. (Future affiliate transactions are prohibited because of a law passed by Congress in August 2006.[2].)

In July 2006, National Public Radio reported that nearly $500,000 in charitable contributions from the foundation went to the Southern Utah Foundation, which then gave the money to the Southern Utah University as housing scholarships. About 50 students were placed, rent-free, in apartments owned by the Cedar Development Co., which is owned by the Leavitt family, and the university then paid the donated money to the company as rent. [3] The students filled vacant apartments which the company had not been able to rent out.

Total charitable grants from the foundation during its first six years were $1,468,055. The foundation's principal beneficiaries have been Southern Utah University and the LDS Church. Other beneficiaries have included arts, educational and humanitarian organizations,[4] including the Leavitt family genealogical society. (Leavitt is a descendant of an old Massachusetts Puritan family, and a direct descendant of Dudley Leavitt, a Mormon pioneer who was named for his ancestor Thomas Dudley, the second colonial governor of Massachusetts.)

[edit] Personal

Leavitt graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics and business from Southern Utah University and married Jacalyn Smith. They are the parents of five children.

Leavitt is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has acknowledged that some of his ancestors were polygamists, a few of whom were forced to flee to Canada to escape prosecution. His ancestor Dudley Leavitt, a Mormon pioneer born in Quebec of New Hampshire parents, was implicated in the brutal Mountain Meadows massacre in 1857.^[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Michael O. Leavitt Archive
• Biography of the Secretary
• Leavitt's blog at HHS
• Blog item about public officials who blog
• NPR Story about Leavitt's blog

v • d • e Governors of Utah Wells • Cutler • Spry • Bamberger • Mabey • Dern • Blood • Maw • Lee • Clyde • Rampton • Matheson • Bangerter • Leavitt • Walker • Huntsman

v • d • e Administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency Ruckelshaus • Train • Costle • Burford • Ruckelshaus • Thomas • Reilly • Browner • Whitman • Leavitt • Johnson

v • d • e United States Secretaries of Health and Human Services Harris • Schweiker • Heckler • Bowen • Sullivan • Shalala • Thompson • Leavitt

v • d • e Current members of the United States Cabinet Bodman · Boltenc · Bushc · Chao · Cheneyc · Chertoff · Gates · Gutierrez · Johnsonc · Kempthorne · Leavitt · Mukasey · Paulson · Peake · Peters · Preston · Nusslec · Rice · Schafer · Schwabc · Spellings · Waltersc (c) cabinet-level only, (a) acting

v • d • e Cabinet of President George W. Bush (2001 – 2009) Vice President Dick Cheney (2001 – present) Secretary of State Colin Powell (2001 – 2005) • Condoleezza Rice (2005 – present) Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill (2001 – 2002) • John W. Snow (2002 – 2006) • Henry Paulson (2006 – present) Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (2001 – 2006) • Robert Gates (2006 – present) Attorney General John Ashcroft (2001 – 2005) • Alberto Gonzales (2005 – 2007) • Michael Mukasey (2007 – present) Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton (2001 – 2006) • Dirk Kempthorne (2006 – present) Secretary of the Agriculture Ann Veneman (2001 – 2005) • Mike Johanns (2005 – 2007) • Ed Schafer (2008 – present) Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans (2001 – 2005) • Carlos Gutierrez (2005 – present) Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao (2001 – present) Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson (2001 – 2005) • Mike Leavitt (2005 – present) Secretary of Education Rod Paige (2001 – 2005) • Margaret Spellings (2005 – Present) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez (2001 – 2003) • Alphonso Jackson (2003 – 2008) • Steve Preston (2008 – present) Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta (2001 – 2006) • Mary Peters (2006 – present) Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham (2001 – 2005) • Samuel Bodman (2005 – present) Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi (2001 – 2005) • Jim Nicholson (2005 – 2007) • James Peake (2007 – present) Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (2003 – 2005) • Michael Chertoff (2005 – present) Chief of Staff Andrew Card (2001 – 2006) • Joshua Bolten (2006 – present) Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Christine Todd Whitman (2001 – 2003) • Mike Leavitt (2003 – 2005) • Stephen Johnson (2005 – present) Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mitch Daniels (2001 – 2003) • Joshua Bolten (2003 – 2006) • Rob Portman (2006 – 2007) • Jim Nussle (2007 – present) Director of National Drug Control Policy John Walters (2001 – present)

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Mike Leavitt