Williamson Evers
Encyclopedia
Williamson M. "Bill" Evers is an American political activist and education researcher. In 1988, he became a resident scholar at Stanford University
's Hoover Institution -- first as a national fellow, then a visiting scholar, and most recently a research fellow. He went on leave from Hoover to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development in the United States Department of Education
during 2007-2009.
specifically. In 1980, he was the Libertarian Party candidate for Congress
in the 12th Congressional District of California. For several years he edited the left-libertarian magazine Inquiry
. "Evers was the first editor of Inquiry which was initially published by the Cato Institute
. He was abruptly fired in a nasty internal power dispute with Cato
president Ed Crane
." At the time, he was considered a radical (he was a prominent member of the party's Radical Caucus)
and an ally of Murray Rothbard
against Ed Crane
and his supporters. In 1984
, Evers was campaign director for Libertarian Party presidential candidate David Bergland
. In 1993, he helped defeat an effort to eliminate the LP membership Pledge and moderate the LP Platform. He was still a member of the Libertarian National Committee as of March 1996.
In the late 1990s, Evers began to work in the Republican Party
, serving on George W. Bush
's transition team after the 2000 election
and acting as a Bush adviser in the 2000 and 2004
campaigns and as a McCain adviser in 2008
. In California, Evers has also served on the Republican State Central Committee and acted as an adviser to several Republican gubernatorial campaigns.
over the teaching of mathematics. He became a leading member of the steering committee of a group called HOLD (Honest Open Logical Debate) on Math Reform and organized a publicity stunt in which a toilet was mounted on the back of a pick-up truck and driven to a protest outside the school district headquarters. There Evers ceremonially flushed the new curriculum.
From 1996 to 1998, Evers was a commissioner on the California
State Commission for the Establishment of Academic Content and Performance Standards. At the Hoover Institution, he joined its Koret Task Force
on K-12 Education, which was formed in 1999.
In 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush
to the White House
Commission on Presidential Scholars. From July to December 2003, he served as a senior education adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority
during the U.S. occupation of Iraq. In 2004 he was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Education in California.
On February 8, 2007, Bush nominated Evers to be an assistant secretary of education. His confirmation by the Senate was announced on October 17, 2007. The eight-month delay was largely attributed to enemies he made during the Math Wars.
Evers has written several opinion columns for well-known publications such as the New York Times
, Wall Street Journal
, Los Angeles Times
, and Christian Science Monitor.
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
's Hoover Institution -- first as a national fellow, then a visiting scholar, and most recently a research fellow. He went on leave from Hoover to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development in the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
during 2007-2009.
Political activism
During the 1970s and '80s, Evers was involved in the libertarian movement in the United States and the Libertarian PartyLibertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
specifically. In 1980, he was the Libertarian Party candidate for Congress
United States House of Representatives elections in California, 1980
The United States House of Representatives elections in California, 1980 was an election for California's delegation to the United States House of Representatives, which occurred as part of the general election of the House of Representatives on November 4, 1980...
in the 12th Congressional District of California. For several years he edited the left-libertarian magazine Inquiry
Inquiry Magazine
Inquiry Magazine was a libertarian magazine published from November 1977 to 1984. It was originally published by the Cato Institute, but in February 1982 was transferred to the Libertarian Review Foundation, after the Libertarian Review was merged into Inquiry in January of that year...
. "Evers was the first editor of Inquiry which was initially published by the Cato Institute
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
. He was abruptly fired in a nasty internal power dispute with Cato
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
president Ed Crane
Ed Crane
Edward H. Crane is the founder and president of the Cato Institute.In the 1970s, he was one of the most active leaders of the Libertarian Party...
." At the time, he was considered a radical (he was a prominent member of the party's Radical Caucus)
LPRadicals
LPRadicals is a caucus formed in 2006 within the United States Libertarian Party by Susan Hogarth and other party members who opposed removal of much of the material in the party platform during the 2006 national party convention...
and an ally of Murray Rothbard
Murray Rothbard
Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
against Ed Crane
Ed Crane
Edward H. Crane is the founder and president of the Cato Institute.In the 1970s, he was one of the most active leaders of the Libertarian Party...
and his supporters. In 1984
United States presidential election, 1984
The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982...
, Evers was campaign director for Libertarian Party presidential candidate David Bergland
David Bergland
David Peter Bergland received the United States Libertarian Party's nomination for the 1984 presidential election. Bergland and his running mate Jim Lewis received 228,111 . He received the party's vice-presidential nomination in the 1976 presidential election, sharing the ticket with Roger...
. In 1993, he helped defeat an effort to eliminate the LP membership Pledge and moderate the LP Platform. He was still a member of the Libertarian National Committee as of March 1996.
In the late 1990s, Evers began to work in the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, serving on George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's transition team after the 2000 election
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
and acting as a Bush adviser in the 2000 and 2004
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
campaigns and as a McCain adviser in 2008
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
. In California, Evers has also served on the Republican State Central Committee and acted as an adviser to several Republican gubernatorial campaigns.
Education activism
In 1995, while one of his children was a third-grader at Escondido Elementary School in the Palo Alto Unified School District in California, Evers became an outspoken participant in the Math WarsMath wars
Math wars is the debate over modern mathematics education, textbooks and curricula in the United States that was triggered by the publication in 1989 of the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and subsequent development and...
over the teaching of mathematics. He became a leading member of the steering committee of a group called HOLD (Honest Open Logical Debate) on Math Reform and organized a publicity stunt in which a toilet was mounted on the back of a pick-up truck and driven to a protest outside the school district headquarters. There Evers ceremonially flushed the new curriculum.
From 1996 to 1998, Evers was a commissioner on the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
State Commission for the Establishment of Academic Content and Performance Standards. At the Hoover Institution, he joined its Koret Task Force
Koret Task Force
The Koret Task Force on K–12 Education is a group of senior education scholars brought together by the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, who work collectively as well as individually on American public education reform issues. The task force was created in 1999 as part of the Hoover...
on K-12 Education, which was formed in 1999.
In 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to 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...
Commission on Presidential Scholars. From July to December 2003, he served as a senior education adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority
Coalition Provisional Authority
The Coalition Provisional Authority was established as a transitional government following the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, members of the Multi-National Force – Iraq which was formed to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in 2003...
during the U.S. occupation of Iraq. In 2004 he was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Education in California.
On February 8, 2007, Bush nominated Evers to be an assistant secretary of education. His confirmation by the Senate was announced on October 17, 2007. The eight-month delay was largely attributed to enemies he made during the Math Wars.
Evers has written several opinion columns for well-known publications such as the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, 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....
, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, and Christian Science Monitor.
External links
- Biography from the Hoover Institution