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America: The Last Best Hope
Dr. William J. Bennett, Author of America: The Last Best Hope
William J. Bennett is one of America's most important, influential and respected voices on cultural, political, and education issues. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Bennett studied philosophy at Williams College (B.A.) and the University of Texas (Ph.D.) and earned a law degree from Harvard. Dr. Bennett has taught in the humanities departments of several universities and was a tutor in the Social Studies Program at Harvard University.
He is the host of the nationally syndicated radio show Bill Bennett's Morning in America. It is rated the 7th largest radio talk show in the nation, after debuting in April 2004. The program airs from 6:00-9:00 a.m. (Eastern) in over 200 cities across the country and rated with over 3.5 million listeners. It also airs on Sirius and XM Satellite Radio.
Over the last 30 years, the author served two of the last five presidents in their cabinets, advised a third, and his perspective has been requested by educators, policy-makers, and media throughout all five presidencies. During the 1980s, Dr. Bennett served as President Reagan's chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (1981-1985) and secretary of education (1985-1988), and President Bush's "drug czar" (1989-1990). In his various roles, he was perceived-even by his adversaries-as a man of strong, reasoned convictions who spoke candidly, eloquently, and honestly about some of the most important issues of our time.
Dr. Bennett has accomplished a rare feat: since leaving government, he has achieved an even greater impact on our national political debate. Dr. Bennett has written for America's leading newspapers and magazines, appeared on the nation's most influential television shows, and is a regular contributor to CNN. He has also written and edited seventeen books, two of which-The Book of Virtues and The Children's Book of Virtues-rank among the most successful of the past decade. The Book of Virtues has been made into an animated series that airs on PBS in the United States and Great Britain and has been seen in over sixty-five countries. Dr. Bennett was named by focus groups and leading analysts as the "Best Communicator of 2002," the most well-received public commentator on the issues of "pride, patriotism, faith, and moral conviction."
Thanks to his writings and speeches, William J. Bennett has extraordinary influence on America's political and social landscape. He, his wife Elayne, and their two sons, John and Joseph, live in Maryland.
