William J. Perry
Overview
Perry served as U.S. secretary of defense from February 3, 1994, to January 23, 1997, after serving as under secretary for research and engineering and deputy secretary. His policies emphasized preventing threats, maintaining readiness and reducing the nuclear legacy of the Cold War.[1]
Contents9 sections
Key facts
1927–1957Birth and Education
Perry was born in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, on October 11, 1927. He received Stanford bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1949 and 1950 and a mathematics doctorate from Pennsylvania State University in 1957.[1]
1954–1977Electronics Industry
Perry directed Sylvania/GTE’s Electronic Defense Laboratories from 1954 to 1964, then led ESL, an electronics company he co-founded, until 1977.[1]
1977–1994Research, Investment and the Pentagon
From 1977 to 1981, Perry oversaw defense research and acquisition and helped advance stealth technology. He then became a managing director at Hambrecht and Quist, taught at Stanford and co-directed CISAC, returning to the Pentagon as deputy secretary in 1993.[1]
1994–1996Acquisition Reform
Perry promoted commercial products and practices in procurement, simplified smaller purchases and reduced cumbersome military specifications. A comprehensive 1996 policy gave program managers greater discretion to cut costs and procedural burdens.[1]
1994–1997Nuclear Threats and International Crises
Perry supported Nunn–Lugar assistance to dismantle former Soviet nuclear arsenals and worked on NATO’s Partnership for Peace, Bosnia peacekeeping and the Korean nuclear crisis. He backed the 1994 U.S.–North Korean agreement while maintaining military preparations in case diplomacy failed.[1]
After 1997: Research and Nuclear Education
2014Theranos Director
Perry appears in TheranosTheranosTheranos was a blood-testing company founded in 2003 by Elizabeth Holmes and based in Palo Alto, California, which offered retail testing with Walgreens and was valued at up to $9 billion before regulatory sanctions and criminal charges over alleged fraud in its technology and financial claims led to its dissolution in 2018.Open the full entry’s July 15, 2014 board attendance record.[3]