born October 11,
1927
Vandergrift,
Pennsylvania
interestingly, Perry was not Bill Clinton's first choice as secretary of defense. the job was offered to Vice Admiral Bobby Inman, who turned the job down.
- 1946-1947: enlisted in the Army Corps of Engineers
- 1948: Reserve Officer Training Corps
- 1950-1955: second lieutenant in the army reserves
- 1954-1964: director of the Electronic Defence Laboratoris, Sylvania/GTE
- 1964-1977: president and co-founder of ESL, Inc.
- 1981-1985: managing director of Hambrecht and Quist (an investment banking firm)
- 1980's - early 1990's:
- Chairman of Technology Strategies Alliances
- professor of engineering at Stanford University
- co-director of Stanford's Center for International Security and Arms Control
in
1996, after
Bill Clinton's reelection, Perry made public his decision to step down from his position as
secretary of defense, citing frustration with a severely
partisan congress, and "the constant
strain of sending U.S. military personnel on life-threatening missions." He officially ended his term in office on January 23,
1997.
- 1980, 1981: the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal
- 1980: the American Electronic Association's Medal of Achievement
- 1994: the Forrestal Medal
- 1994: the Henry Stimson Medal
- 1996: the Eisenhower Award
- 1996: selected by The National Academy of Engineering for the Arthur Bueche Medal
- 1997: the Marshall Award
- 1997: Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Outstanding Civilian Service Medals from:
references: www.defenselink.mil, http://www-hoover.stanford.edu