Robert B. Carleson
Encyclopedia
Robert B. Carleson was a key policy advisor on welfare issues to Ronald Reagan
in California and the White House; he also founded a conservative alternative to the American Civil Liberties Union
called the American Civil Rights Union
in 1998.
in 1949. He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Public Administration at the University of Southern California
. Carleson served in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps during the Korean War
from 1953 to 1956.
Career
Carleson spent twelve years as a city administrator in Southern California. In 1968, Carleson was appointed as Chief Deputy Director of the California State Department of Public Works. At the request of Governor Ronald Reagan, Carleson laid the major policy groundwork for California’s 1971 welfare reform. Reagan then appointed Carleson as Director of the California State Department of Social Welfare, where Carleson worked to implement the reform.
In 1973, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Caspar Weinberger
named Carleson as U.S. Commissioner of Welfare.
Carleson advised the 1976 and 1980 Reagan for President campaigns, and he organized the Reagan transition team for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
From 1981 to 1984, Carleson worked on the White House staff as Special Assistant to the President for Policy Development. He was a special advisor for Federalism policy and was the Executive Secretary of the Cabinet Council on Human Resources. He was the author of the 1981 Welfare Reforms in the 1981 Budget Reconciliation Act.
Carleson continued to write prolifically about welfare reform in the 1990s, and was a leading voice for reform prior to the Welfare Reform of 1996 that was passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton. Carleson's memoirs were published as Government IS the Problem: Memoirs of Ronald Reagan's Welfare Reformer edited by Susan A. Carleson and Hans A. Zeiger, foreword by Edwin Meese III (Alexandria, Virginia: American Civil Rights Union, 2009), 160 pages.
American Civil Rights Union
Carleson founded the American Civil Rights Union
(ACRU) in 1998 to advocate for civil rights in the judiciary and public opinion. The ACRU Policy Board includes former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III, Pepperdine Law School
Dean Kenneth W. Starr, economist Walter Williams
, and political scientist James Q. Wilson
. Among the projects of the American Civil Rights Union is the Robert B. Carleson Eagle Fund, founded by Carleson’s widow Susan A. Carleson in 2009 to provide camp scholarships to disadvantaged Boy Scouts and award grants to Scout troops that have been hurt by government or philanthropic decisions.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
in California and the White House; he also founded a conservative alternative to the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
called the American Civil Rights Union
American Civil Rights Union
The American Civil Rights Union is a civil liberties organization founded by former Reagan Administration official Robert B. Carleson in 1998. It was founded in response to views that the most prominent civil liberties organization, the American Civil Liberties Union, was too leftward leaning; ACRU...
in 1998.
Early Years and Education
Carleson was Eagle Scout of the Year in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
in 1949. He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Public Administration at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. Carleson served in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
from 1953 to 1956.
Career
Carleson spent twelve years as a city administrator in Southern California. In 1968, Carleson was appointed as Chief Deputy Director of the California State Department of Public Works. At the request of Governor Ronald Reagan, Carleson laid the major policy groundwork for California’s 1971 welfare reform. Reagan then appointed Carleson as Director of the California State Department of Social Welfare, where Carleson worked to implement the reform.
In 1973, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Caspar Weinberger
Caspar Weinberger
Caspar Willard "Cap" Weinberger , was an American politician, vice president and general counsel of Bechtel Corporation, and Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan from January 21, 1981, until November 23, 1987, making him the third longest-serving defense secretary to date, after...
named Carleson as U.S. Commissioner of Welfare.
Carleson advised the 1976 and 1980 Reagan for President campaigns, and he organized the Reagan transition team for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
From 1981 to 1984, Carleson worked on the White House staff as Special Assistant to the President for Policy Development. He was a special advisor for Federalism policy and was the Executive Secretary of the Cabinet Council on Human Resources. He was the author of the 1981 Welfare Reforms in the 1981 Budget Reconciliation Act.
Carleson continued to write prolifically about welfare reform in the 1990s, and was a leading voice for reform prior to the Welfare Reform of 1996 that was passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton. Carleson's memoirs were published as Government IS the Problem: Memoirs of Ronald Reagan's Welfare Reformer edited by Susan A. Carleson and Hans A. Zeiger, foreword by Edwin Meese III (Alexandria, Virginia: American Civil Rights Union, 2009), 160 pages.
American Civil Rights Union
Carleson founded the American Civil Rights Union
American Civil Rights Union
The American Civil Rights Union is a civil liberties organization founded by former Reagan Administration official Robert B. Carleson in 1998. It was founded in response to views that the most prominent civil liberties organization, the American Civil Liberties Union, was too leftward leaning; ACRU...
(ACRU) in 1998 to advocate for civil rights in the judiciary and public opinion. The ACRU Policy Board includes former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III, Pepperdine Law School
Pepperdine University School of Law
The Pepperdine University School of Law is a law school located on the campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.The school placed 54th among the nation's "Top 100" law schools according to the 2011 U.S. News and World Report rankings and is the third highest ranked law school in...
Dean Kenneth W. Starr, economist Walter Williams
Walter E. Williams
Walter E. Williams, is an American economist, commentator, and academic. He is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University, as well as a syndicated columnist and author known for his libertarian views.- Early life and education :Williams family during childhood...
, and political scientist James Q. Wilson
James Q. Wilson
James Q. Wilson is an American academic political scientist and an authority on public administration. He is a professor and senior fellow at the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy at Boston College....
. Among the projects of the American Civil Rights Union is the Robert B. Carleson Eagle Fund, founded by Carleson’s widow Susan A. Carleson in 2009 to provide camp scholarships to disadvantaged Boy Scouts and award grants to Scout troops that have been hurt by government or philanthropic decisions.