Kenneth Bacon
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Hogate Bacon was an American
journalist who served as a spokesman for the Department of Defense
during the Presidency of Bill Clinton
, and later as president of Refugees International
, an organization dedicated to advocating for assistance and protection for displaced persons and promoting solutions to displacement crises.
, New York
. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy
in Exeter, New Hampshire
for high school, graduating in 1962; the school honored him in 2007 with its John Phillips Award, which recognizes graduates for their contributions to society. He earned his undergraduate degree at Amherst College
, where his father was a dean and also taught political science
. After Amherst, Bacon received post-graduate education at Columbia University
, where he earned simultaneous master's degree
s in business and journalism.
Bacon served in the U.S. Army Reserve
from 1968 to 1974. After two years working in the office of U.S. Senator
Thomas J. McIntyre
(D
–NH
) as a legislative assistant, he was hired by The Wall Street Journal
as a reporter (1965). He was assigned to the paper's bureau in Washington, D.C.
, working his way up to become a columnist
and editor.
, who had served as US Undersecretary of Defense in the 1970s and had become familiar with WSJ reporter Bacon while in that capacity, was named to serve as Secretary of Defense
in the Clinton Administration in 1994. He invited Bacon to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
, serving as the public face of the Defense Department.
In 1997 Bacon was retained in his post by Perry's successor at the Defense Department, William Cohen
. As part of NATO's involvement in the Kosovo War
, Bacon represented the Defense Department on a visit to the Balkans
in 1999 with Cohen, where they had the opportunity to visit a refugee camp
. Bacon had never before realized "the sheer magnitude of one million people leaving their homes and needing food, shelter and medical care" and then returning to their homes after the cessation of hostilities and wondered if all those worldwide who had provided support and assistance to Kosovar refugees could "give the same attention to the refugees in the Congo
, Afghanistan
and Sudan
".
's personnel file to a reporter, disclosing that Tripp had omitted on her employment application an incident that occurred when she was arrested for theft when she was 19 years old. Tripp, a Defense Department employee, had been a friend of Monica Lewinsky
, who had herself worked as an assistant in Bacon's office in 1996 and 1997 (having been hired on the recommendation of the White House
). Bacon was criticized for violating privacy laws and harming Tripp's reputation. In response to a Defense Department Inspector General
's report in 2000 that concluded that Bacon had not followed authorized procedures, William Cohen published a letter that had been sent to Bacon in which Bacon's actions were called "hasty and ill-conceived". Bacon issued a statement that the information he released was driven by "a desire to be responsive to an urgent media inquiry" and that the Inspector General's two-year investigation did not find any connection to the White House. In a 2003 settlement, following a lawsuit which claimed that the revelations violated the Privacy Act of 1974
, Tripp received a payment of $595,000, retroactive promotion and salary increases for the years 1998 to 2000 and the right to reapply for government employment.
" ancestors were refugees themselves, who "came over from England
in 1630, fleeing debts for all I know".
After leaving his government post in 2001, Bacon became president of Refugees International
, which compels the world's leaders to assist the millions worldwide who have fled their homes due to violence or persecution. The organization regularly assists and provides guidance to government and UN agencies, including peacekeeping
bodies, on ways to serve the needs of refugees. Bacon focused much of his work on advocating for additional protection and assistance to displaced people from Sudan's Darfur
region and Iraq
. He was also active in drawing international attention to displaced people in Afghanistan, Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia
and Thailand
. During Bacon's tenure as president of Refugees International, the organization doubled in size.
In the weeks before the start of the 2003 invasion of Iraq
, Bacon suggested such methods as selection of bombing targets outside of densely populated areas as a means to reduce the number of refugees. In September 2003, Bacon encouraged French
participation in the peacekeeping forces in Iraq, based on that nation's prior experience in such circumstances. Emphasizing that "the US cannot afford to win the military battle and lose the humanitarian campaign" in Iraq, Bacon advocated for increased numbers of Iraqi refugees to be allowed to enter the United States and for greater American financial assistance to refugees from violence in Iraq, with funding from the State Department
rising from $43 million in 2006 to $398 in 2008.
Five days before his death (August 10), Refugees International announced that Bacon had endowed a new program to focus on people displaced by climate change
.
from his own perspective as a cancer
patient, a "matter of life and death" for him, that was published in The Washington Post
25 days before his death. He offered prevention and online efficiencies among his recommendations, with his own example of melanoma
that could have been treatable if caught earlier given a family history of the condition. He described his difficulties in getting approval for payment of radiation therapy
for cancer that had spread to his brain, which his insurer
had deemed "not medically necessary" and expressed his frustration with the amount of time he and his physician had to spend in dealing with paperwork.
He served as chairman of the Folger Shakespeare Library
and was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
and the International Institute for Strategic Studies
.
A resident of Washington, D.C., Bacon died at age 64 of complications related to melanoma, at his second home on Block Island
, Rhode Island
. He was survived by his two daughters and his wife of 43 years, the former Darcy Wheeler.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist who served as a spokesman for the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
during the Presidency of Bill Clinton
Presidency of Bill Clinton
The United States Presidency of Bill Clinton, also known as the Clinton Administration, was the executive branch of the federal government of the United States from January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001. Clinton was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second full term...
, and later as president of Refugees International
Refugees International
Refugees International is a humanitarian organization supporting refugees and stateless people. It publishes annual reports, as well as approximately twenty-five field reports throughout the year on refugee issues, as well as comments on international aid issues around the world...
, an organization dedicated to advocating for assistance and protection for displaced persons and promoting solutions to displacement crises.
Early life and career
Bacon was born in BronxvilleBronxville, New York
Bronxville is an affluent village within the town of Eastchester, New York, in the United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately north of midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County. At the 2010 census, Bronxville had a population of 6,323...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
in Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
for high school, graduating in 1962; the school honored him in 2007 with its John Phillips Award, which recognizes graduates for their contributions to society. He earned his undergraduate degree at Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, where his father was a dean and also taught political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. After Amherst, Bacon received post-graduate education at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he earned simultaneous master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s in business and journalism.
Bacon served in the U.S. Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
from 1968 to 1974. After two years working in the office of U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Thomas J. McIntyre
Thomas J. McIntyre
Thomas James McIntyre was a U.S. senator from New Hampshire, and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Laconia, New Hampshire, he attended the public and parochial schools of Laconia; he graduated from Manlius Military School in Manlius, New York, in 1933, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New...
(D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
–NH
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
) as a legislative assistant, he was hired by The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
as a reporter (1965). He was assigned to the paper's bureau in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, working his way up to become a columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
and editor.
Spokesman at Defense Department
William PerryWilliam Perry
William James Perry is an American businessman and engineer who was the United States Secretary of Defense from February 3, 1994, to January 23, 1997, under President Bill Clinton...
, who had served as US Undersecretary of Defense in the 1970s and had become familiar with WSJ reporter Bacon while in that capacity, was named to serve as Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
in the Clinton Administration in 1994. He invited Bacon to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, or ASD is the principal staff advisor and assistant to the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense for public information, internal information, community relations, information training, and audiovisual matters in support of...
, serving as the public face of the Defense Department.
In 1997 Bacon was retained in his post by Perry's successor at the Defense Department, William Cohen
William Cohen
William Sebastian Cohen is an author and American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. A Republican, Cohen served as Secretary of Defense under Democratic President Bill Clinton.-Early life and education:...
. As part of NATO's involvement in the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
, Bacon represented the Defense Department on a visit to the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
in 1999 with Cohen, where they had the opportunity to visit a refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
. Bacon had never before realized "the sheer magnitude of one million people leaving their homes and needing food, shelter and medical care" and then returning to their homes after the cessation of hostilities and wondered if all those worldwide who had provided support and assistance to Kosovar refugees could "give the same attention to the refugees in the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
".
Linda Tripp incident
In March 1998, Bacon released details of employee Linda TrippLinda Tripp
Linda Rose Tripp was a central figure in the Lewinsky scandal of 1998 and 1999 that led to the impeachment and subsequent acquittal of U.S. President Bill Clinton.-Early life and government employment:...
's personnel file to a reporter, disclosing that Tripp had omitted on her employment application an incident that occurred when she was arrested for theft when she was 19 years old. Tripp, a Defense Department employee, had been a friend of Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky
Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American woman with whom United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "improper relationship" while she worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996...
, who had herself worked as an assistant in Bacon's office in 1996 and 1997 (having been hired on the recommendation of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
). Bacon was criticized for violating privacy laws and harming Tripp's reputation. In response to a Defense Department Inspector General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
's report in 2000 that concluded that Bacon had not followed authorized procedures, William Cohen published a letter that had been sent to Bacon in which Bacon's actions were called "hasty and ill-conceived". Bacon issued a statement that the information he released was driven by "a desire to be responsive to an urgent media inquiry" and that the Inspector General's two-year investigation did not find any connection to the White House. In a 2003 settlement, following a lawsuit which claimed that the revelations violated the Privacy Act of 1974
Privacy Act of 1974
The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, Public Law No. 93-579, establishes a Code of Fair Information Practice that governs the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of personally identifiable information about individuals that is maintained in systems of records by federal agencies...
, Tripp received a payment of $595,000, retroactive promotion and salary increases for the years 1998 to 2000 and the right to reapply for government employment.
Refugees International
Bacon recognized that becoming a refugee was a matter of circumstance that could affect anyone, noting that his own "blue-blooded WASPWhite Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP is an informal term, often derogatory or disparaging, for a closed group of high-status Americans mostly of British Protestant ancestry. The group supposedly wields disproportionate financial and social power. When it appears in writing, it is usually used to...
" ancestors were refugees themselves, who "came over from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1630, fleeing debts for all I know".
After leaving his government post in 2001, Bacon became president of Refugees International
Refugees International
Refugees International is a humanitarian organization supporting refugees and stateless people. It publishes annual reports, as well as approximately twenty-five field reports throughout the year on refugee issues, as well as comments on international aid issues around the world...
, which compels the world's leaders to assist the millions worldwide who have fled their homes due to violence or persecution. The organization regularly assists and provides guidance to government and UN agencies, including peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
bodies, on ways to serve the needs of refugees. Bacon focused much of his work on advocating for additional protection and assistance to displaced people from Sudan's Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
region and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. He was also active in drawing international attention to displaced people in Afghanistan, Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. During Bacon's tenure as president of Refugees International, the organization doubled in size.
In the weeks before the start of the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, Bacon suggested such methods as selection of bombing targets outside of densely populated areas as a means to reduce the number of refugees. In September 2003, Bacon encouraged French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
participation in the peacekeeping forces in Iraq, based on that nation's prior experience in such circumstances. Emphasizing that "the US cannot afford to win the military battle and lose the humanitarian campaign" in Iraq, Bacon advocated for increased numbers of Iraqi refugees to be allowed to enter the United States and for greater American financial assistance to refugees from violence in Iraq, with funding from the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
rising from $43 million in 2006 to $398 in 2008.
Five days before his death (August 10), Refugees International announced that Bacon had endowed a new program to focus on people displaced by climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
Personal
Bacon wrote an essay about health care reformHealth care reform in the United States
Health care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...
from his own perspective as a cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
patient, a "matter of life and death" for him, that was published in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
25 days before his death. He offered prevention and online efficiencies among his recommendations, with his own example of melanoma
Melanoma
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
that could have been treatable if caught earlier given a family history of the condition. He described his difficulties in getting approval for payment of radiation therapy
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy , radiation oncology, or radiotherapy , sometimes abbreviated to XRT or DXT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells.Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control...
for cancer that had spread to his brain, which his insurer
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
had deemed "not medically necessary" and expressed his frustration with the amount of time he and his physician had to spend in dealing with paperwork.
He served as chairman of the Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library
The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period...
and was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
and the International Institute for Strategic Studies
International Institute for Strategic Studies
The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a British research institute in the area of international affairs. It describes itself as "the world’s leading authority on political-military conflict"...
.
A resident of Washington, D.C., Bacon died at age 64 of complications related to melanoma, at his second home on Block Island
Block Island
Block Island is part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately south of the coast of Rhode Island, east of Montauk Point on Long Island, and is separated from the Rhode Island mainland by Block Island Sound. The United States Census Bureau defines Block...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. He was survived by his two daughters and his wife of 43 years, the former Darcy Wheeler.
External links
- Associated Press obituary, The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
- American Forces Press Service obituary, United States Department of DefenseUnited States Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
- Refugees International tribute page