Richard Schweiker

Richard Schweiker
Schweiker, 1981
14th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
In office
January 22, 1981  February 3, 1983
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byPatricia Roberts Harris
Succeeded byMargaret Heckler
United States Senator
from Pennsylvania
In office
January 3, 1969  January 3, 1981
Preceded byJoseph Clark
Succeeded byArlen Specter
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 13th district
In office
January 3, 1961  January 3, 1969
Preceded byJohn Lafore
Succeeded byLawrence Coughlin
Personal details
Born
Richard Schultz Schweiker

(1926-06-01)June 1, 1926
Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJuly 31, 2015(2015-07-31) (aged 89)
Pomona, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Claire Coleman
(m. 1955; died 2013)
Children5
Education
Military service
Branch United States Navy
Service years1944–1946
ConflictWorld War II

Richard Schultz Schweiker (June 1, 1926 – July 31, 2015) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of health and human services under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1983. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a U.S. Representative from 1961 to 1969 and a U.S. Senator from 1969 to 1981 from Pennsylvania. In 1976, Schweiker was Reagan's running mate during his unsuccessful presidential campaign.