Willard Wirtz, Last Survivor of Kennedy Cabinet, Dies

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Bloomberg

By Laurence Arnold and Molly Peterson

April 25 (Bloomberg) -- Willard Wirtz, the former U.S. labor secretary who was the last surviving member of President John F. Kennedy’s Cabinet, has died. He was 98.

Wirtz died of natural causes yesterday at his home in Washington, his son Philip said today in an interview. Wirtz’s death was first reported by the Associated Press.

A lawyer, Wirtz led the U.S. Labor Department from September 1962 to 1969, spanning the last year of Kennedy’s presidency and the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson, who became president when Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963.

As secretary, Wirtz advocated economic policies to maximize employment, even at the risk of higher inflation. He told reporters at the end of the Johnson presidency that he was most satisfied that the unemployment rate dropped during his tenure to 3.3 percent from 5.8 percent.


Read more: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-25/willard-wirtz-last-survivor-of-kennedy-cabinet-dies-update1-.html