Richard Schweiker (born June 1, 1926) is a former U.S. Congressman and Senator representing the state of Pennsylvania. He later was Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Cabinet of President Ronald Reagan. Schweiker was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He served aboard an aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Following his military service he attended Pennsylvania State University where he received a bachelor's degree in 1950 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Schweiker quickly rose through the business ranks becoming president of the American Olean Tile Company, the country's leading manufacturer of ceramic tile.
Schweiker was elected in 1960 to the U. S. House of Representatives from the 13th Congressional District in Pennsylvania. He served in the House of Representatives until 1968, when he won a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1974.
In 1976, when Ronald Reagan challenged President Gerald Ford for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, he promised to name Schweiker as his candidate for Vice President. This was regarded as a somewhat unusual move as Reagan was running as a conservative and Schweiker had a moderate-to-liberal voting record. Schweiker enthusiatically campaigned for Reagan but the effort fell short. Reagan, who had campaigned as a conservative critical of President Ford (who was viewed as a more moderate Republican from the North,) was apparently attempting to balance the ticket, unite the party and demonstrate his own willingness to compromise. In fact, the move did not impress those sitting on the fence, while disturbing some would-be conservative supporters (such as Jesse Helms, who in response proposed that New York Senator James L. Buckley be drafted as a presidential nominee.) Ford won the nomination on the first ballot by a razor-thin margin, and the Vice-Presidential nomination went to Bob Dole. Schweiker decided not to seek a third term as Senator in 1980, and accepted Reagan's appointment to be Secretary of Health and Human Services in 1981, a position he held until 1983.
From 1983 to 1994, Schweiker served as President of the American Council of Life Insurance.
Schweiker is a distant relative of former Pennsylvania Governor Mark S. Schweiker.
Preceded by: John A. Lafore, Jr. Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district 1961-1969 Succeeded by: Lawrence Coughlin Preceded by: Joseph S. Clark U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania 1969-1981 Succeeded by: Arlen Specter Preceded by: Patricia R. Harris Secretary of Health and Human Services 1981-1983 Succeeded by: Margaret Heckler United States Secretaries of Health and Human Services Harris • Schweiker • Heckler • Bowen • Sullivan • Shalala • Thompson • Leavitt
