Richard S. Schweiker

(HHS) 1981-1983

Richard S. Schweiker
(1926 - )

Richard Schweiker was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He served 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. A businessman from 1950 to 1960, he rose to president in the American Olean Tile Company, the country's leading manufacturer of ceramic tile. In 1960, Mr. Schweiker won election to the House of Representatives, being re-elected in 1962, 1964, and 1966. He ran and won a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1968 and was re-elected in 1974. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed Mr. Schweiker Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, a position he held until 1983.