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Stephen John Hadley (born February 13, 1947) is an American attorney and senior government official who served as the 20th United States National Security Advisor from 2005 to 2009. He served under President George W. Bush during the second term of his administration. Hadley was Deputy National Security Advisor during Bush's first term. Before that Hadley served in a variety of capacities in the defense and national security fields. He has also worked as a lawyer and consultant in private practice.


Early life and education

Hadley was born in Toledo, Ohio, the son of Suzanne (née Bentley), a homemaker, and Robert W. Hadley Jr., an electrical engineer. He grew up in South Euclid, Ohio, in the
Cleveland metropolitan area The Cleveland metropolitan area, or Greater Cleveland as it is more commonly known, is the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Cleveland in Northeast Ohio, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census results, the five-county ...
. After reading the Allen Drury novel '' Advise and Consent'', he became intrigued by the governing process and was elected student body president of Charles F. Brush High School. Hadley graduated from there as the valedictorian in 1965. He received a B.A. degree in government from
Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...
in 1969, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, the Cornell University Glee Club, and the Quill and Dagger society. He then received a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from
Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...
in 1972 where was Note and Comment Editor of the ''
Yale Law Journal The ''Yale Law Journal'' (YLJ), known also as the ''Yale Law Review'', is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students ...
''.State Dept bio page
/ref> In law school, Hadley was a classmate to
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...
. He commissioned as an Ensign into the U.S. Navy through Yale Naval ROTC in 1972.


Career


Military service

Hadley served as an officer in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
from 1972 to 1975. This included being an analyst for the Comptroller of the Department of Defense from 1972 to 1974.


Early government service

Hadley was a member of the National Security Council staff under President
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...
from 1974 to 1977. During this period, he worked for the law firm of Shea & Gardner. From 1986 to 1987, he served as Counsel to the Special Review Board established by President Ronald Reagan to inquire into Iran–Contra affair. During the administration of George H. W. Bush, Hadley was a Pentagon aide to Paul Wolfowitz, serving as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy from 1989 to 1993. In that position, he had responsibility for defense policy toward
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and Western Europe, on nuclear weapons and ballistic missile defense, and arms control. He also participated in policy issues involving export control and the use of space. Hadley served as Secretary of Defense
Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former ...
's representative in talks led by Secretary of State James Baker that resulted in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties, START I and START II.


Private sector work

During the years in which the Democratic Clinton administration was in power (1993-2001), Hadley was an administrative partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Shea & Gardner, where he had worked earlier in his career. His professional legal practice focused on business problems of U.S. and foreign corporations particularly as they involve international business, regulatory, and strategy issues. These representations included export controls, foreign investment in U.S. national security companies, and the national security responsibilities of U.S. information technology companies. He was also a principal in The Scowcroft Group, Inc., an international consulting firm. In this, he represented U.S. corporate clients seeking to invest and do business overseas.


George W. Bush administration


Campaign and transition

Hadley served as a senior foreign and defense policy adviser to Governor Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign and worked in the Bush-Cheney Transition on the National Security Council. In January 2001, as George W. Bush prepared to take office, Hadley served on a panel for
nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
issues sponsored by the National Institute for Public Policy, a conservative
think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental ...
. Other members of the panel included Stephen Cambone, William Schneider, and Robert Joseph. This panel advocated using tactical nuclear weapons as a standard part of the United States defense arsenal.


Deputy National Security Advisor

He was Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor from January 22, 2001. In 2002, Hadley was a member of the White House Iraq Group. On Sept. 9, 2002, Nicolò Pollari gave the forged ''Niger-Gate'' documents directly to Stephen Hadley. He admitted fault in allowing a disputed claim about Iraq's quest for nuclear weapons material from
Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesState of the Union Address (see Niger uranium forgeries). On July 22, 2003, Hadley offered his resignation to Bush because he had "failed in that responsibility" and that "the high standards the president set were not met." Bush denied Hadley's request. Amid this, ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...
'' of London reported that Hadley was Robert Novak's source for Valerie Plame's name in the
CIA leak scandal The Plame affair (also known as the CIA leak scandal and Plamegate) was a political scandal that revolved around journalist Robert Novak's public identification of Valerie Plame as a covert Central Intelligence Agency officer in 2003. In 2002, ...
, but this report proved to be false when Richard Armitage admitted that he was Novak's source.


National Security Advisor

On January 26, 2005, he replaced Condoleezza Rice as National Security Advisor, upon Rice's confirmation as Secretary of State. In that capacity he was the principal White House foreign policy advisor to President Bush, directed the National Security Council staff, and ran the interagency national security policy development and execution process. In 2007 Hadley led a public media campaign in an effort to convince the public that the proposed Iraq surge would work. Hadley was known for avoiding focused public attention.
New National Security Adviser Shuns the Spotlight
Newhouse News Service
In a 2006 profile, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' described Hadley as "a modest man in an immodest job. In a town populated by people nursing grandiose views of their own importance and scheming for greater glory, Hadley still thinks of himself as a staff man. He sits at the pinnacle of power, but articulates no sweeping personal vision of the world and has made a point of staying in the shadows."The Security Adviser Who Wants the Role, Not the Stage
from ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'', by Peter Baker, January 29, 2006
In his book '' Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid'', former president
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 19 ...
recounts that Hadley, in his capacity as national security adviser (Carter calls him by title rather than by name) personally denied Carter permission to visit Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in early 2005, in the wake of the administration's decision to isolate the regime, due its "differences with Syria concerning U.S. policy in
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
".


Later career

Beginning in 2009, Hadley served as senior adviser for international affairs at the
United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individuals in diplomacy, mediation, and other pea ...
in Washington, DC. On January 24, 2014, he was elected chairman of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Institute of Peace.Former National Security Advisor to Chair United States Institute of Peace Board of Directors
(January 24, 2014). United States Institute of Peace. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
On September 11, 2018, USIP-based Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States, of which Hadley is a member, produced the report "Beyond the Homeland: Protecting America from Extremism in Fragile States, "which warns that the United States urgently needs a new approach to stem the spread of violent extremism and previews a comprehensive preventative strategy that focuses on strengthening resilience against extremism in fragile states." Hadley widely promoted the Interim Report in the media, including with
United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individuals in diplomacy, mediation, and other pea ...
president Nancy Lindborg on the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' podcast "Foreign Podicy" hosted by
Clifford May Clifford D. May (born 1951) is an American journalist, editor, political activist, and podcast host. He is the founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank created shortly after the 9/11 attacks, where he host ...
. Hadley is a co-founder and principal, along with Condoleezza Rice, Robert Gates and Anja Manuel, in RiceHadleyGates, a strategic consulting firm. In 2013, Hadley was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage during the ''
Hollingsworth v. Perry ''Hollingsworth v. Perry'' was a series of United States federal court cases that re-legalized same-sex marriage in the state of California. The case began in 2009 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, which found that ...
'' case. In March 2013, on the ten year anniversary, Hadley gave his views on what had gone wrong and what had been redeemed in terms of the Iraq War. During the Syrian chemical weapons crisis in September 2013, Hadley appeared on
Bloomberg Television Bloomberg Television (on-air as Bloomberg) is an American-based pay television network focusing on business and capital market programming, owned by Bloomberg L.P. It is distributed globally, reaching over 310 million homes worldwide. It is he ...
, CNN, MSNBC,
Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ...
, and also wrote an op-ed piece for ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' in which he advocated attacking Syria with missiles. At the time, Hadley was a director at
Raytheon Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliz ...
and owned 11,477 shares of stock, but the news organizations failed to disclose the link and conflict of interest. Hadley was initially floated as a potential option for Secretary of Defense in the
Trump Administration Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...
. In this as well as for other positions, it was thought his process knowledge could be beneficial. Instead, in late 2016 he collaborated with Former Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...
on a plan for a new course in America's approach to the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
. Hadley is a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is a nonprofit organization that is independent and nonpartisan. CFR is based in New York Ci ...
. He has been a member of the Defense Policy Board, the Foreign Affairs Policy Board, the National Security Advisory Panel to the
Director of Central Intelligence The director of central intelligence (DCI) was the head of the American Central Intelligence Agency from 1946 to 2005, acting as the principal intelligence advisor to the president of the United States and the United States National Security ...
, and the Board of Trustees of Analytical Services ("ANSER"). Hadley is also an Executive Vice Chair on the Board of Directors at the Atlantic Council and is on the Board of Directors at defense contractor
Raytheon Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliz ...
.


Personal life

Hadley lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Ann, a Justice Department lawyer. They have two daughters.


Honours

* Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, 2017


References

''This article incorporates text from Stephen Hadley's National Security Council biography, which, as a work of the
U.S. government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
, is in the
public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...
''


Further reading

* Daalder, Ivo H. and I.M. Destler
''In the Shadow of the Oval Office: Profiles of the National Security Advisers and the Presidents They Served--From JFK to George W. Bush''
Simon & Schuster; 2009, . * Dueck, Colin. "The Role of the National Security Advisor and the 2006 Iraq Strategy Review." ''Orbis'' (Jan 2014) 58#1 pp 15–38 * M.B. "Hadley, Stephen." ''Current Biography'' (Nov 2006) 67#11 pp 37–42; the most detailed biography


Primary sources

* Hadley, Stephen, Joseph Collins, and Nicholas Rostow. "An Interview with Stephen Hadley." ''Prism'' 5.3 (2015): 146-159
online
* Hadley, Stephen J. "The Role and Importance of the National Security Advisor." (2017)
online


External links

* * * * *
''Center for Cooperative Research'' profile of Stephen Hadley


Hadley's Address to
U.S. Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individuals in diplomacy, mediation, and other peac ...
, March 16, 2006
Eight Ways to Deal with Iran
September 26, 2012 ''Foreign Policy'' article , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hadley, Stephen 1947 births American consultants Cornell University alumni George W. Bush administration personnel Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Living people People from South Euclid, Ohio United States Assistant Secretaries of Defense United States National Security Advisors United States Navy officers Yale Law School alumni Ohio Republicans United States Deputy National Security Advisors