"Tom's demonstrated commitment to bipartisanship and fact-finding uniquely qualified him to chair the 9/11 Commission, a task he carried out with his customary fairness and effectiveness. . . . He is a wonderful man and a genuine patriot, and I am grateful Al Felzenberg's fine biography does justice to Governor Kean's outstanding legacy."-Bill Clinton

"Al Felzenberg has written a first-class biography of a first-class public servant. Tom Kean has contributed his entire professional career to public life but perhaps his greatest accomplishment is his latest. With grace, wisdom, and purpose, he led the bipartisan 9/11 Commission to produce a report of such force and clarity that it surely will be viewed by history as a major contribution to the security of the American people."- U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman

"In retracing Kean's steps from the New Jersey Statehouse to the 9/11 Commission, Felzenberg shows how Kean, in his understated way, was so often able to persuade presidents, Congresses, and his fellow governors to move in the direction he envisioned for New Jersey and our whole nation. It is a fascinating story and a delightful read."-Jack Kemp, former member of Congress (R-NY), former secretary of HUD, and Republican vice presidential candidate in 1996

Long before Bill Clinton spoke of "triangulation," a term that referred to a centrist governing style, prior to Tony Blair repositioning the British Labor Party midway between Thatcher conservatism and militant trade unionism, and far ahead of George W. Bush referring to his agenda as "compassionate conservatism," there was Tom Kean. From the moment of his election to the New Jersey state assembly in 1967, through his guidance of the 9/11 Commission nearly three decades later, Kean consistently displayed a knack for bipartisan leadership.

In this first political biography of one of the nation's most popular and successful governors, Alvin S. Felzenberg tells the story of a remarkable career that culminated in an unexpected and crucial contribution to the country-chairmanship of the 9/11 Commission. Felzenberg describes how, early in his political career, Kean worked to transform New Jersey's legislature in the aftermath of court rulings that mandated redistricting in accordance with the "one man, one vote" principle. He discusses Kean's efforts to relieve the urban crisis that followed in the wake of the 1967 Newark riots. He relates how Kean was able to use the New Jersey governorship-purportedly the strongest in the country-to transform a so-called "rust belt" state into a leader in education, environmental responsibility, and economic growth.

Kean's successes in these and other areas caused leaders outside New Jersey to follow in his path. Together with his fellow governors, Kean forged a national consensus on domestic policy between Democratic congresses and Republican presidents, in the process winning for himself a leadership role in his own party. Kean's story serves as an uncommon case of how a Republican loyal to the historic roots and principles of his party can not only win election in a "blue state" but effectively govern it.

Starting from the example the governor set on the state level, Felzenberg's account traces Kean's career to positions of trusted authority on the national stage. After several years of advising presidents, Kean was appointed chairman of the 9/11 Commission. In this role, he made the bipartisan, Congressionally mandated commission one of the most successful in American history.

Drawing on interviews with Kean as well as with state and national leaders, including former presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton and former New York City mayor Ed Koch, Felzenberg not only provides a marvelous biography, but also offers a unique look at American politics during the last four decades of the twentieth century.

Alvin S. Felzenberg was Principal Spokesman for the 9-11 Commission and for its non-profit successor organization, the 9-11 Public Discourse Project. More recently, he was a fellow at the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Felzenberg held several senior level posts on Capitol Hill, served in two presidential administrations, and, in the 1980's, was New Jersey's Assistant Secretary of State. His writings have appeared in the Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Globe, Weekly Standard, Christian Science Monitor and other publications and he has been a guest on major public affairs television and radio broadcasts, including CNN, Fox News, C-SPAN, and National Public Radio. Felzenberg holds a Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University and an M.A. and B.A. from Rutgers University.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1, Kean: The Early Years
Chapter 2, Kean Comes of Age
Chapter 3, Kean: In the Service of His Father
Chapter 4, Kean Finds His Calling
Chapter 5, Kean the Precocious Freshman
Chapter 6, Kean the Institutional Reformer
Chapter 7, Kean: In the Minority But Not in the Wilderness
Chapter 8, Kean: The Making of the Governor, 1981
Chapter 9, Kean's Truncated Transition
Chapter 10, Kean Settles In
Chapter 11, Kean Builds New Jersey Pride
Chapter 12, Kean the Education Governor
Chapter 13, Kean and the Arts
Chapter 14, Kean and the Environment
Chapter 15, Kean and the Politics of Inclusion
Chapter 16, The Governor, Greg, Guffaws, and the Gipper
Chapter 17, Kean: The Re-election of the Governor, 1985
Chapter 18, Kean Re-appoints Wilentz
Chapter 19, Kean and Welfare Reform
Chapter 20, Kean: The Man with the Message
Chapter 21, "Citizen Kean"
Chapter 22, Chairman Kean
Chapter 23, Tom Kean and Political Leadership
Interviews
Notes
Index