DAN
QUAYLE, CLASS OF 1969
February 4, 1947 -
Son of an Indiana
newspaper publisher, Quayle was elected to congress at age 29 and in
1980 defeated Democratic powerhouse Birch Bayh to become a U.S. senator.
He continued his string of youthful successes in 1988, when he was
elected vice president on the ticket with president George
Bush. Quayle's foes accused him of being an intellectual
lightweight, and fairly or not the label stuck; he became the butt of
steady joking by political pundits and late-night talk show hosts.
Quayle made an unsuccessful run for the 2000 GOP presidential
nomination, which was won instead by Bush's son George
W. Bush.
______
Elected Vice President of the United
States at the age of 41, Dan Quayle was the first member of his
generation to win national office. His service with President
George Bush continued a remarkable record of achievement that began
with his election to the U.S. Congress at age 29, and the U.S. Senate at
age 33. During his years in public office, Vice President Quayle was a
vigorous advocate for economic growth, a strong national defense,
American leadership in the world, and the revitalization of
non-governmental institutions -- families, neighborhoods, churches,
small businesses -- that are the foundation of American civilization.
Mr. Quayle is widely considered to have been one of the most active vice
presidents in history. He made official visits to 47 countries, was
chairman of the President's Council on Competitiveness and the National
Space Council, and served as President Bush's point man on Capitol Hill.
As a leader in causes from legal system reform to deregulation to the
renewal of basic American values, Vice President Quayle developed a
large national following and became one of the most admired Americans of
his time.
Dan Quayle is the author of "Standing Firm," a
vice-presidential memoir that became a nationwide bestseller. His second
book, "The American Family: Discovering the Values that Make Us
Strong," came out in the spring of 1996. The former vice president
also writes a nationally syndicated newspaper column, serves on a number
of corporate boards, chairs several business ventures, and is chairman
of Campaign
America , a national political action committee.
______
Former Vice President Dan Quayle is
currently working with an investment firm in Phoenix, Arizona. Mr.
Quayle is the author of a best-selling memoir, "Standing Firm"
(HarperCollins/Zondervan). His second book, "The American Family:
Discovering the Values that Make Us Strong," came out in the spring
of 1996. He makes frequent public appearances and speeches, and writes a
nationally syndicated weekly newspaper column.
Mr. Quayle was born on February 4, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He
was named after James Danforth, a longtime Quayle family friend killed
in World War II. After spending much of his youth in Arizona, he
graduated from Huntington High School in Huntington, Indiana, in 1965.
He then matriculated at DePauw University, where he received his B.A.
degree in political science in 1969. After receiving his degree, Mr.
Quayle joined the Indiana National Guard and served from 1969-75. While
serving in the Guard, he earned a law degree from Indiana University in
1974.
Mr. Quayle's public service began in July 1971 when he became an
investigator for the Consumer Protection Division of the Indiana
Attorney General's Office. Later that year, he became an administrative
assistant to Governor Edgar Whitcomb. From 1973-74, he was the Director
of the Inheritance Tax Division of the Indiana Department of Revenue.
Upon receiving his law degree, Mr. Quayle worked as associate publisher
of his family's newspaper, the Huntington Herald-Press, and practiced
law with his wife in Huntington.
In 1976, Mr. Quayle was elected to the U.S. Congress from Indiana's
Fourth Congressional District, defeating an eight-term incumbent
Democrat. He won reelection in 1978 by the greatest percentage margin
ever achieved to that date in the northeast Indiana district. In 1980,
at age 33, Mr. Quayle became the youngest person ever elected to the
U.S. Senate from the State of Indiana, defeating three-term incumbent
Democrat Birch Bayh. Making Indiana political history yet again, Mr.
Quayle was reelected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 with the largest margin
ever achieved to that date by a candidate in a statewide Indiana race.
During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Mr. Quayle became widely known for
his legislative work in the areas of defense, arms control, labor, and
human resources. With his service on the Armed Services Committee, the
Budget Committee, and the Labor and Human Resources Committee, he became
an effective Senator, respected by colleagues on both sides of the
aisle. In 1982, working with Senator Edward Kennedy, Mr. Quayle authored
the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), which has been called the most
significant piece of social legislation passed during the Reagan
presidency.
In August 1988, at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans, George
Bush called on Mr. Quayle to be his running mate in the general
election. Although Republicans were trailing by up to 15 points in
public opinion polls taken prior to the convention, the Bush/Quayle
ticket went on to win the November election by a convincing 54-46
margin, sweeping 38 states and capturing 426 electoral votes. Mr. Quayle
was the 44th Vice President of the United States from January 20, 1989,
to January 20, 1993.
In November 1972 Mr. Quayle married the former Marilyn Tucker of
Indianapolis. They are the parents of three children: Tucker, Benjamin,
and Corinne. Mr. Quayle, the oldest of four children, has two brothers
and a sister: Chris, Mike, and Martha. He is the son of Corinne and the
late Jim Quayle. He enjoys golf, tennis, basketball, skiing, horseback
riding, fly fishing, and reading. Mr. Quayle particularly enjoys
watching his children as they participate in team sports.
