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Former Energy Secretary Offers Insights on Reagan
WALNUT CREEK, CA (June 7, 2004) - Editor's note: With the passing of
President Ronald Reagan last Saturday, Covenant Communications is
publishing the following story based on an interview completed in 2000
with former Reagan Cabinet member John Herrington. A long-time member of
Hillside Covenant Church, Herrington later became board chair for
well-known publisher Harcourt Brace Jovanovich and also served as chair
of the California Republican Central Committee. His wife, Lois, chaired
the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime during Reagan's
presidency and later served as Superior Court judge in Contra Costa
County. They are the parents of two grown daughters.
By Craig Pinley
Attorney/businessman John Herrington says the most important man he has
known is Jesus Christ. His passion for the Lord is evident as he speaks
about his work in the political realm. Delve deeper and you will find
that he has other friends in high places, especially in the world of
U.S. politics. Herrington, who served as Secretary of Energy during
President Ronald Reagan's second term (1985-89), counts his relationship
with the former president among his most significant.
"A lot of people have missed the essence of Ronald Reagan," said
Herrington, who as Energy Secretary signed the first Nuclear Cooperation
Treaty with the People's Republic of China. "Basically, what you saw is
what you got. He was very secure in himself and he delegated authority.
He inspired people to do their best. You never wanted to let him down.
"You have autocratic leaders and delegatory leaders," Herrington said in
reflecting on those years. "Reagan was in the latter group. In all the
years I worked with him, I saw that people were hardest on themselves
because those were the kind of people he had around him."
A graduate of Stanford University, Herrington was working as a
prosecutor for the Ventura County District Attorney when he heard Reagan
speak at a local fairground. He was impressed enough to volunteer for
the 1966 Reagan for Governor Campaign - Reagan defeated Pat Brown. Over
the next two dozen years, Herrington worked closely with Reagan as he
ascended the political ladder, eventually reaching the White House
himself in a variety of roles.
"I like politics, I felt good doing something in politics," Herrington
said of his role. "It's necessary for people to involve themselves in
politics if they're going to complain. Obviously, I had that desire in
1966 because after I heard Reagan at the fairgrounds, I signed up. But
it wasn't like working any other job. Being on the Cabinet is like being
president in other countries. While you're not huge in this country,
being a representative of the United States for Ronald Reagan - they
listen to every word you say. When you're talking to the King of Saudi
Arabia or the president of China, it's a real experience. It's a huge
responsibility. I would say that getting to that level really deepened
my faith. You don't get there because of merit; there are hundreds of
people as qualified or more qualified than you, so God has put you in
that place. He has allowed that to happen."
In 1966, Reagan already had become well known, at least as a Hollywood
entertainment personality. He hosted the television series "Death Valley
Days" and appeared prominently in the films "Bedtime for Bonzo" and
"Knute Rockne: All-American" – two of 53 movie roles spanning two
decades. He married and divorced the up and coming actress Jane Wyman
before marrying actress Nancy Davis and later serving as president of
the Screen Actors guild. It became clear that Reagan's acting ability
would serve him well in politics. Herrington says he saw Reagan at his
best long before Reagan became the nation's 40th President.
"One of the things he said that was logical to me was that a person
would spend his money a lot wiser than the government would," said
Herrington in recalling Reagan's speech in Ventura. "He called himself a
citizen politician - and he was. This was an historic figure. There was
no question this man was unique, that he was born to lead and had the
right values for this country. They talk about him being a great
speaker, but they don't talk about him writing his own speeches. He
would sit by himself, with note cards, and write his own speeches and
refine what he had to say on principles. In those days (as governor), it
was vintage Reagan."
Within two years of becoming governor of California, Reagan found
himself running against Richard Nixon for the Republican presidential
nomination. He lost the primary, but his impressive showing gave notice
of things to come in the national political scene.
"I became an advance (public relations) man in 1968 and my job was to
organize events, organizations and media opportunities," Herrington
said. "In those days we did everything. One of my jobs was to schedule
secret events, private receptions with very important people. We did
that to a fine art. Ronald Reagan was the only Republican in the United
States who could bring a crowd to dinner for $300,000 a pop. Here's a
man who was governor for two years and now he's running for president .
. . and he became a national personality. He was the best fundraiser
I've ever seen."
Being one of only three advance people on Reagan's staff made Herrington
a busy man in 1968. It also put him in some awkward situations,
particularly early in the campaign.
"The first event I did, my assignment was Chicago (a fundraiser for the
United Fund)," Herrington recalled. "The Sheriff of Cook County was a
guy named Joseph Woods. I get off the plane and I'm met by Sheriff
Woods. He says, 'I'd like you to do your business and get out of town.'
Sheriff Woods was the brother of Rose Mary Woods, who was the personal
secretary of Richard Nixon. Boy, that was tough politics."
In 1970, Reagan was re-elected governor of California and after serving
his second term, he left politics briefly. He ran against Gerald Ford in
the 1976 Republican primary and lost, but had better success four years
later, beating George Bush in the 1980 Republican primary and winning
the general election by an overwhelming margin over incumbent President
Jimmy Carter. Herrington says he is amazed at how religion played a part
in that election.
"Ronald Reagan's election in 1980 was the first time I recognized the
born again network in the United States," he recalled. "We began to see
the political power of the Christian movement in that election. They
were very passive in politics for many years. But they were one of the
major groups that put Ronald Reagan in office."
Herrington served as director of advance for the Western Region during
that campaign. He eventually followed Reagan to Washington as the
assistant Secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs. During
Reagan's first term, he served as Special Assistant to White House Chief
of Staff James Baker for a time before replacing Pendleton James as
Assistant to the President for Personnel.
Herrington had little experience in the field of energy when he was
named to the Cabinet in 1985, and few knew much about his past. The
New York Times called the 45-year-old Herrington "a staunch
Reagan loyalist," giving little recognition to the value of his work
during Reagan's first term and how that experience might aid him in his
new Cabinet role. He was confirmed 93-1 by the U.S. Senate and his
administrative background served him well during his tenure as Secretary
of Energy.
Following the Soviet nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl, Herrington
conducted an assessment of the U.S. Department of Energy's 11 major
nuclear reactors and led a delegation to Vienna, Austria, to discuss
international cooperation in nuclear safety and radiological protection
issues. During his term, a super-conducting super collider was built in
Texas and two new production reactors were constructed, one in South
Carolina and the other in the Pacific Northwest. The White House also
released the 2010 Report, projecting requirements for maintaining and
modernizing the nuclear weapons production system through the year 2010.
It was not a smooth start for the Reagan White House. The President was
shot by John Hinckley just 69 days after taking the oath of office. And
his political views were not always popular with the traditionalists in
power. However, Reagan's passion for revitalizing the U.S. economy and
his staunch opposition to communism won over many Americans.
"Sure, he was under attack all the time," Herrington said of Reagan. "In
fact, the Washington establishment, when we got there in 1980, resented
a Westerner - especially an actor - being in the White House. It was
something they had to endure . . . they liked East Coast establishment
type people - the establishment is comfortable with one of their own.
"(But) Reagan was a strong competitor, a driven man. He ran for
president in 1968 against Richard Nixon and lost. He ran for president
against Gerald Ford (in the Republican primary) in 1976 and lost. And
then he ran again in 1980 and won. This man wanted to be president - it
was a long goal that was finally attained."
Reagan's faith in God and his country impressed Herrington, especially
during his early presidency. "He (Reagan) was a thoughtful man, a
religious man. He had a strong faith," said Herrington. "A lot of his
remarks had references to God and religion. After the assassination
attempt, he said 'after what happened, any time I have left I owe to
the man upstairs.' "
Herrington says he was surprised when it was revealed that Nancy
Reagan's astrology intuitions might have played a part in some decisions
in the White House. "For 33 years I worked for Reagan and I never knew
that," said Herrington. "That revelation came out in a book (For the
Record) by Donald Regan," who was a former chief of staff for the
president. "I didn't see any evidence of it."
On the contrary, Herrington found Reagan to be a President whose faith
was important to him, even if it may not have appeared so at first
glance. "He did not go to church every Sunday like Bill Clinton does,
carrying a Bible," Herrington said. "Reagan said he hated to disrupt a
service. It's a big inconvenience. He had his own pastor from Los
Angeles come back to the White House a lot on weekends. But you could
see it.
"Ronald Reagan was not a religious 'figure' - he very carefully kept his
religious beliefs to himself. But he was basically a rock-solid
religious thinker and he appeared at any number of religious functions
(Jewish or Catholic or Evangelical). He had a very close personal
relationship with the Pope, and many of the top people for Reagan were
Mormon and Catholic. He was a unifier."
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