Bruce Chapman

Bruce Kerry Chapman (born December 1, 1940)[1] is the founder and current Chairman of the Board[2] of the Discovery Institute, an American conservative think tank often associated with the religious right.[3][4] He was previously a journalist, a Republican politician, and a diplomat. He is the author, most recently, of Politicians: The Worst Kind of People to Run the Government, Except for All the Others (Discovery Institute Press, 2018).[5][6][7]

Not to be confused with Bruce Chapman (Australian economist).

Bruce K. Chapman
Chapman, circa 1973
2nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations International Organizations in Vienna
In office August 1, 1985 – October 16, 1988
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Richard S. Williamson
Succeeded by	Michael H. Newlin
12th Secretary of State of Washington
In office 1975–1981
Governor	Daniel J. Evans Dixy Lee Ray
Preceded by	Lud Kramer
Succeeded by	Ralph Munro
Personal details
Born	(1940-12-01) December 1, 1940 Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Education	Harvard University (B.A.)
Occupation	Former politician, current think-tank fellow
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Years of service	1965-69

Early life and career

Born in Evanston, Illinois, he graduated from Harvard University in 1962,[8] he served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, and worked as an editorial writer for the New York Herald Tribune. With his college roommate George Gilder, he wrote an attack on the anti-intellectual policies of Barry Goldwater titled The Party That Lost Its Head (1966). In 1966 he moved to Seattle and wrote a book entitled The Wrong Man in Uniform, arguing against conscription, and for an all-volunteer military (Trident Press, 1967).

Chapman became active in politics through the Seattle Young Republicans, and became a member of the United States Republican Party. He was elected to the Seattle City Council in 1971. In 1975, he was appointed Secretary of State of Washington, and won election twice (1975, 1976).[9][10][11] He campaigned for the office of Governor of Washington in 1980, but ultimately did not win the Republican nomination.

Chapman was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the position of Director of the United States Census Bureau and served in that role from 1981 until 1983. Between 1983 and 1985 he was Deputy Assistant to President Reagan and Director of the White House Office of Planning and Evaluation. From 1985 to 1988 he served in the appointed position of United States Ambassador to the United Nations International Organizations in Vienna. His portfolio included nuclear proliferation, refugees, economic development, and the control of narcotics.

Intelligent design

From 1988 to 1990, Chapman was a fellow at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank. In 1990, he left Hudson and founded the Discovery Institute. The institute is best known as the hub of the Intelligent Design movement,[12] and also focuses on a broad range of issues, including economics, transportation, technology, and citizen leadership.

Personal life

Chapman is a Roman Catholic and is married to Sarah Gilmore Williams, a great-granddaughter of Theodore Roosevelt, with whom he has two sons: Adam and Andrew.

References

1. Bruce Kerry Chapman, HistoryMakers Biographical Database
2. Peterson, Eric. "Bruce Chapman's Newest Book Shows How the Anti-Speech Lobby has Damaged Citizen Participation in Politics". www.ifs.org. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
3. Barbara Forrest (May 2007). "Understanding the Intelligent Design Creationist Movement: Its True Nature and Goals. A Position Paper from the Center for Inquiry, Office of Public Policy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 30, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
4. Patricia O'Connell Killen, a religion professor at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma whose work centers on the regional religious identity of the Pacific Northwest, recently wrote that "religiously inspired think tanks such as the conservative evangelical Discovery Institute" are part of the "religious landscape" of that area.
5. Peterson, Eric. "Bruce Chapman's Newest Book Shows How the Anti-Speech Lobby has Damaged Citizen Participation in Politics". www.ifs.org. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
6. "Politicians: The Worst Kind of People to Run the Government, Except for All the Others". amazon.com. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
7. "Politicians: The Worst Kind of People to Run the Government Except for All the Others". barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
8. Kabaservice, Geoffrey (2012). Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, from Eisenhower to the Tea Party. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 36. ISBN 9780199768400.
9. "Secretaries of State Club". blogs.sos.wa.gov. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
10. "Daly v. Chapman". law.justia.com. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
11. "The Role of the Secretary of State in Elections". www.sos.wa.gov. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
12. What is...'Intelligent Design?' Terence Kealey. The Times, UK, December 18, 2004.

External links

• Bruce Chapman biography from the Discovery Institute
• Discovery's Creation A brief history of the founding of the Discovery institute and how the Wedge Document was made public.
• Articles on Secretaries of State for Washington
• Lecture by Bruce Chapman on "What Does A Think Tank Think About?" in July, 2006 Mr. Chapman provides a tour of the think tank world and explains how "policy wonks" influence public policy.
• Evolution of a think tank — "A journalist comes of age with Bruce Chapman, watching him launch Seattle's Discovery Institute and the intelligent design movement."

Preceded by Lud Kramer	Secretary of State of Washington 1975–1981	Succeeded by Ralph Munro
Preceded by Vincent Barabba	Director of the United States Census Bureau 1981 – 1983	Succeeded by John G. Keane
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Richard S. Williamson	United States Ambassador to the United Nations International Organizations in Vienna 1985 - 1988	Succeeded by Michael H. Newlin