Hamilton Jordan

For other persons named William Jordan, see William Jordan. Hamilton Jordan

Chief of Staff Jordan

8th White House Chief of StaffIn office
1979 – 1980President Jimmy CarterPreceded by Vacant (Carter Admin)
Dick Cheney(Ford Admin) Succeeded by Jack WatsonBorn September 21, 1944
Albany, Georgia. Died May 20, 2008(aged 63)
Atlanta, GeorgiaPolitical party DemocraticSpouse Dorothy Jordan Children Hamilton Jr., Kathleen and Alexander

William Hamilton McWhorter Jordan (September 21, 1944 – May 20, 2008 [1][2]) was Chief of Staff to President of the United States Jimmy Carter.

1 Early life
2 Political career
3 Later life
4 Personal
5 Death
6 External links
7 References

Early life

Jordan was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and reared in Albany, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia and graduated with an A.B. in Political Science in 1967. After being disqualified from military service due to leg problems, he worked as a civilian volunteer in Vietnam during the war there, assisting refugees.

Political career

Jordan was a key advisor and strategist for Jimmy Carter during the 1976 presidential campaign and during Carter's administration, serving as White House Chief of Staff in 1979-1980. Jordan played a powerful role in the formulation of election strategies and government policies.

In 1986, he ran for the Democratic nomination for one of Georgia's seats in the United States Senate. He lost the primary to Representative Wyche Fowler, who went on to win the general election.

In 1992, he became a high-level staffer on the presidential campaign of independent candidate H. Ross Perot. In recent times he has served both as a member of the founders council and as an important public advocate for Unity08, a political movement focused on reforming the American two party system.

Later life

Jordan was chief executive of the Association of Tennis Professionals when they took control of the professional men's world tennis tour in 1990. His nephew, R. Lawton Jordan, served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs during Bill Clinton's administration.

Personal

He and his wife, a pediatric oncology nurse, founded a camp for children with cancer - Camp Sunshine Retreat - in Georgia. He was an honorary board member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

Death

Jordan died on May 20, 2008, aged 63, from mesothelioma. He had survived several other forms of cancer earlier in his life including melanoma and prostate cancer.