Alexander Haig, Ronald Reagan, & Others

I remember Alexander Haig from the Reagan administration. When I was a kid, my mom had a pamphlet about the size of a business card detailing some facts about his life. Stuff like he was a Republican and general, a Roman Catholic - you know, that type of things you want people to know about you when you are running for office. I'm pretty sure she would have voted for him had his bid for the Presidency contained more momentum. Yesterday, Alexander Haig passed away at the age of 85.

Regardless of how you feel about Ronald Reagan, one can't help but feel saddened by
the number of cabinet members from his administration who have passed away. Their youth coincided with WWII and the Korean War, and their political and military positions were shaped by the proliferation of communism and the Soviet Union. There was something respectable about being a politician during the days of Ronald Reagan. Even if embroiled in some kind of political scandal, you could still emerge from it as a statesman with a lot more respect than contemporary political hacks. And even if you dislike the military build-up this country experienced under the Reagan presidency, most experts - to my knowledge - credit his administration with winning the Cold War.

Here are just a few individuals affiliated with the Reagan White House who have passed away. Although I was just a child when Ronald Reagan constructed his administration, I remember these folks especially. Their names were quite ubiquitous between 1980 and 1988.


Ronald Regan- Secretary of Treasury (December 21, 1918 – June 10, 2003)



Caspar Weinberger- Secretary of Defense (August 18, 1917 – March 28, 2006)



Jeane Kirkpatrick- Foreign Policy Adviser (November 19, 1926 – December 7, 2006)