BY SALENA ZITO szito@tribweb.com
Former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Dick Schweiker, a Montgomery County Republican, died Friday.
The former Secretary of Health and Human Services and congressman is best known as Ronald Reagan’s surprise pick for vice-president in the lead up to the 1976 Republican primary contest between Reagan and President Gerald Ford.
The 89 year old was at the Jersey Shore with family for their annual vacation when he suffered a heart attack; he died because of an infection shortly after at a local hospital.
In 1976 Reagan was trailing in delegates as the summer Republican convention approached; he decided to disrupt the tradition of not choosing a running mate until securing the nomination and tapped moderate popular Republican Schweiker as his VP.
The hedge failed: Reagan lost the delegate race by about 100 pledges. Ford won the nomination and then went on to lose the general election to Democrat Jimmy Carter in the fall.
No other candidate has attempted to name their running-mate before actually securing the nomination in the 39 years since the Reagan-Ford campaign
When Reagan won the presidency in 1980, he appointed Schweiker to the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services; Schweiker served until 1983.
Survived by five children, Schweiker lost his wife of 57 years Claire in April of 2013.
“Our father had a wonderful life and we were very fortunate to spend time together,” said his son Rich, who along with his four siblings, 21 of 23 grandchildren and one great-grandchild were with Schweiker when he fell ill.
“Every year we go to Ocean City for our big family vacation, something none of us ever miss, it seems almost appropriate we were all together,” said Rich Schweiker.
His father, he said, enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 and served in World War II on the aircraft carrier USS Tarawa.
“He was deeply affected by the death of his brother Malcolm, who was killed in action during the war. He said it instilled in him a strong faith to serve God and man and led him to public service,” Rich Schweiker said.
Dick Schweiker won his first election at age 34 to the House of Representatives, where he served on the Government Operations and Armed Services Committee.
A strong supporter of an all volunteer army, he co-authored the book, How to End the Draft, and enacted the “Schweiker Act” of 1965 that provided for cash awards to military personnel who suggested money-saving ideas.
The Schweiker Act has resulted in savings of over $1 billion to taxpayers, Rich Schweiker said.
Dick Schweiker won reelection to the House three times and then ran for the Senate in 1968, defeating incumbent Joe Clark.
After serving in the Reagan cabinet, Schweiker retired from 22 years in public service and became president of the American Council of Life Insurance, a position he held until 1994.
Former Congressman Bud Shuster said, “My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Schweiker’s family. He was a longtime advocate for the people of Pennsylvania, and then Americans from across the country when he rose to be Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Reagan. While he will be missed, the impact he made over the years in our state and for our nation will always be remembered.”