William John Bennett Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
William Bennett was in a pop musical group in his youth. He grew into a conservative politician and wrote books, most recently "The Book of Man". He was Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan and a "drug czar" under George Bush, and was mentioned in the Al Franken movie, Al Franken: God Spoke (2006).
But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could - if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. [Sept. 28, 2005, broadcast of Salem Radio Network's "Bill Bennett's Morning in America"]
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I've gambled all my life and it's never been a moral issue with me. I liked church bingo when I was growing up. I've been a poker player. [May 2003]
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[on his gambling:] "I play fairly high stakes. I adhere to the law. I don't play the 'milk money.' I don't put my family at risk, and I don't owe anyone anything."
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Fact
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Release of his book, "A Century Turns: New Hopes, New Fears". [March 2010]
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He wrote a book, "The Book of Virtues", in 1995, extolling the virtues of personal responsibility and moral behavior. After the book was published it was discovered that over the previous several years he had lost more than $1,000,000 at the gambling tables and slot machines in Las Vegas. He said that there was no conflict between his behavior in those circumstances and the behavior that he advocated in the book--which included being careful with your money--because it was his own money that he lost gambling.
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As US Secretary of Education during the Ronald Reagan presidency, 1985-1988, Bennett promoted a very conservative agenda, slashing federal aid to students and exhorting schools to become a force for "moral education."
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A crusader for "moral family values" (he was one of former President Bill Clinton's harshest attackers during Clinton's impeachment) and a return to "old-style virtues," Bennett was forced to admit in May 2003 that he had lost about $8 million gambling in casinos during the preceding decade. A review of one 18-month gambling stretch showed that Bennett would often visit casinos for two or three days at a stretch. One casino source said, "He'll usually call a host and let us know when he's coming. We can limo him in. He prefers the high-limit room, where he's less likely to be seen and where he can play the $500-a-pull slots. He usually plays very late at night or early in the morning--usually between midnight and 6 a.m." Documents showed that in one two-month period, Bennett wired more than $1.4 million to casinos to cover his gambling losses. When exposed by the Washington Monthly and Newsweek magazine, Bennett claimed that he planned to quit gambling.
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A former Democrat, Bennett joined the Republican Party in 1986.
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Appointed by President George Bush to be the first director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, or "drug czar," 1989-1991, he coordinated the "war against drugs," but resigned in frustration.
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U.S. Secretary of Education (1985-1988).
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Adventures from the Book of Virtues
1996-2000
TV Series book "The Book of Virtues" - 39 episodes
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Kelly File
2016-2017
TV Series
Himself / Himself - Former U.S. Education Secretary / Himself - Former Education Secretary
Fox News Sunday
2015
TV Series
Himself - Former U.S. Education Secretary
Hannity
2009-2013
TV Series
Himself / Himself - Radio Talk Show Host
Meet the Press
2006-2011
TV Series
Himself - Former Secretary of Education / Himself
Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny
2009
Documentary
Himself
Hype: The Obama Effect
2008
Video documentary
Himself
The O'Reilly Factor
2005-2007
TV Series
Himself
The Daily Show
2006
TV Series
Himself
Al Franken: God Spoke
2006
Documentary
Himself (as Bill Bennett)
Hannity & Colmes
2004-2005
TV Series
Himself
The Big Story
2005
TV Series
Himself
60 Minutes
2000
TV Series documentary
Himself - Former Drug Czar (segment "The Power of Positive Speaking")
Charlie Rose
1998
TV Series
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
The O'Reilly Factor
2007-2015
TV Series
Himself - Book, Going to Pot / Himself
Hannity
2012
TV Series
Himself
Tupac: Resurrection
2003
Documentary
Himself
60 Minutes
2002
TV Series documentary
Himself - Former Drug Czar (segment "The Power of Positive Speaking")
Welcome to Death Row
2001
Video documentary
Himself
Culture Shock
2000
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself
Known for movies
Adventures from the Book of Virtues (1996-2000) as Writer
Al Franken: God Spoke (2006) as Himself
Hype: The Obama Effect (2008) as Himself
Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny (2009) as Himself
$400,000
