John H. Sununu

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox officeholder John Henry Sununu (born July 2, 1939) is a Cuban-born American politician who served as the 75th governor of New Hampshire from 1983 to 1989 and as the 14th White House chief of staff under President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1991.

Born in Cuba to an American father and a Salvadoran mother, he is of Palestinian, Greek, Hispanic, and Lebanese descent, making him the first Arab American, Greek American, and Hispanic American to be governor of New Hampshire and White House chief of staff. He is the father of John E. Sununu, the former United States Senator from New Hampshire, and Christopher Sununu, the former governor of New Hampshire. Sununu was the chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party from 2009 to 2011.

Early life and education

Sununu was born on July 2, 1939,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Havana, Cuba, while his parents were visiting Cuba on a business trip.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He is the son of John Saleh Sununu, an international film distributor, and Victoria Sununu (née Dada).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His father's family came to the United States from Lebanon as Greek Orthodox Christians at the turn of the 20th century and his ancestry was Greek and Lebanese from Jerusalem and Beirut respectively.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> John Saleh Sununu was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His mother Victoria Dada was born in El Salvador. Her family were also Greek Orthodox Christians, of Greek and Spanish ancestry, and had settled in Central America at the turn of the 20th century.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Behind" /> Sununu visited Beirut, Lebanon, as a child in the late 1940s. He grew up in New York City<ref name="Behind">Template:Cite news</ref> and graduated from the La Salle Military Academy on Long Island.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sununu earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1961, a Master of Science degree in 1963, and a PhD in 1966 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all in mechanical engineering.<ref name="thesis-sununu-1966">Template:Cite thesis</ref><ref name=tufts>Template:Cite web</ref> He was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

Career

From 1966 to 1982, Sununu taught at Tufts University, where he was an associate professor of mechanical engineering. He was the associate dean of the university's College of Engineering from 1968 to 1973.<ref name=tufts/> As of 1988, Sununu retained his title and family tuition benefits from Tufts during an "extremely rare" unpaid six-year leave of absence that coincided with his governorship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was on the advisory board of the Technology and Policy Program at MIT from 1984 until 1989.<ref name=tufts/>

A Republican, Sununu represented the 5th Rockingham district in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1973 to 1975.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nh.electionstats.com">Template:Cite web</ref> Sununu ran for the New Hampshire Senate in 1974 and 1976, but lost the general election both times to Delbert F. Downing.<ref name="nh.electionstats.com"/> He ran for the Executive Council of New Hampshire in 1978, but lost the general election to Dudley Dudley.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He ran for the United States Senate in 1980, but lost the Republican primary to Warren Rudman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Governor of New Hampshire

Sununu became New Hampshire's 75th governor on January 6, 1983, and was re-elected twice to hold the position for three consecutive terms. He was the first Arab-American governor of New Hampshire. Sununu was chairman of the Coalition of Northeastern Governors, the Republican Governors Association and, in 1987, the National Governors Association.

Sununu angered some when he was the only governor of a U.S. state not to call for repeal of the UN General Assembly Resolution 3379 ("Zionism is racism"). He later reversed his position on this issue and supported the Republicans' pro-Israel 1988 platform.<ref name="time1988">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

White House chief of staff

President Bush on the telephone during the United States invasion of Panama with Sununu and Brent Scowcroft on December 20, 1989

Sununu was the first White House chief of staff for George H. W. Bush, holding the position from 1989 to 1991. Time magazine dubbed him "Bush's Bad Cop" on the front cover on May 21, 1990.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sununu is considered to have engineered Bush's mid-term abandonment of his 1988 campaign promise of "no new taxes".<ref name=ByronYork0>Template:Cite web</ref> In his report Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change, Nathaniel Rich wrote that in November 1989 Sununu prevented the signing of a 67-nation commitment at the Noordwijk Climate Conference to freeze carbon dioxide emissions, with a reduction of 20 percent by 2005, and singled him out as a force starting coordinated efforts to bewilder the public on the topic of global warming and changing it from an urgent, nonpartisan and unimpeachable issue to a political one.<ref name="Rich">Template:Cite news</ref> Interviewed as to his involvement in preventing an agreement, he stated: "It couldn't have happened, because, frankly, the leaders in the world at that time were at a stage where they were all looking how to seem like they were supporting the policy without having to make hard commitments that would cost their nations serious resources. Frankly, that's about where we are today."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sununu recommended David Souter of New Hampshire to President George H. W. Bush for appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States, at the behest of his close friend, then-U.S. senator and fellow New Hampshirite Warren Rudman. The Wall Street Journal described the events leading up to the appointment of the "liberal jurist" in a 2000 editorial, saying Rudman in his "Yankee Republican liberalism" took "pride in recounting how he sold Mr. Souter to gullible White House chief of staff John Sununu as a confirmable conservative. Then they both sold the judge to President Bush, who wanted above all else to avoid a confirmation battle [after Robert Bork]."<ref name="wallstjournal">Template:Cite news</ref> Rudman wrote in his memoir that he had "suspected all along" that Souter would not "overturn activist liberal precedents."<ref name="souter biography">Template:Cite news</ref> Sununu later said that he had "a lot of disappointment" about Souter's positions on the Court and would have preferred him to be more similar to Justice Antonin Scalia.<ref name="souter biography"/>

At the recommendation of George W. Bush,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Sununu resigned his White House post on December 4, 1991.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=NYTrosenthal0>Template:Cite news</ref> He remained at the White House as Counselor to the President until March 1, 1992.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

USS Liberty veterans reunion

On the 24th anniversary of the USS Liberty incident (in 1991), approximately 50 Liberty survivors, including Captain William McGonagle, were invited to the White House to meet with President George H.W. Bush in a meeting set up by former Congressmen Paul Findley and Pete McCloskey.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="auto1">Template:Cite web</ref> After waiting for over 2 hours, President Bush waved at them as he passed by in his limousine, but did not meet with them in person.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="auto1"/> Many of the survivors were reportedly disheartened and disappointed with this.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref> Instead, Sununu and National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft greeted them.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="auto"/><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Rear Admiral Thomas A. Brooks, who had spoken out in favor of Liberty survivors previously, presented them with a Presidential Unit Citation that had been signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson but never awarded.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, a longtime Liberty advocate, was also in attendance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This meeting was objected to by the Anti-Defamation League.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Conflict-zone mining

Sununu is a major shareholder of the Anglo-Asian mining company (holding 9.38%) which stands to profit after Azerbaijan military victories over Nagorno-Karabakh.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Expenses controversy

As White House chief of staff, Sununu reportedly took personal trips, for skiing and other purposes, and classified them as official, for purposes such as conservation or promoting the Thousand Points of Light.<ref name="airsununu">Template:Cite news</ref> The Washington Post wrote that Sununu's jets "took him to fat-cat Republican fund-raisers, ski lodges, golf resorts and even his dentist in Boston."<ref name="airsununu"/> Sununu had paid the government only $892 for his more than $615,000 worth of military jet travel.<ref name="usnewsair">Template:Cite news</ref> Sununu said that his use of the jets was necessary because he had to be near a telephone at all times for reasons of national security.<ref name="nytimessununutravel"> Template:Cite web</ref> Sununu became the subject of much late-night television humor over the incident.<ref name="airsununu"/> Sununu worsened the situation shortly afterwards when, after leaking rumors of financial difficulties in his family, he traveled to a rare stamp auction at Christie's auction house in New York City from Washington in a government limousine, spending $5,000 on rare stamps.<ref name="timemagsununustamps"> Template:Cite magazine </ref> Sununu then sent the car and driver back to Washington unoccupied while he returned on a corporate jet.<ref name="timemagsununustamps"/> In one week, 45 newspapers ran editorials on Sununu, nearly all of them critical of his actions.<ref name="wapost">Template:Cite news</ref> Sununu resigned his White House post on December 4, 1991. Sununu repaid over $47,000 to the government for the flights on the orders of White House counsel C. Boyden Gray, with the help of the Republican Party.<ref name="salonsununu"> Template:Cite web</ref> However, the reimbursements were at commercial rates, which are about one-tenth the cost of the actual flights; one ski trip to Vail, Colorado alone had cost taxpayers $86,330.<ref name="usnewsreport">Template:Cite news</ref>

Other activities

Sununu at the January 23, 2016, First in the Nation Town Hall in Nashua, New Hampshire

Sununu co-hosted CNN's nightly Crossfire from March 1992 until February 1998.<ref name="tufts" />

From 1963 until 1983, he was President of JHS Engineering Company and Thermal Research Inc.<ref name="tufts" /> In addition, he helped establish and worked as chief engineer for Astro Dynamics Inc. from 1960 until 1965.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2012, Sununu as a national co-chair for the Mitt Romney presidential campaign made controversial comments directed towards then President Barack Obama calling Obama "un-American". After receiving backlash for the comment, Sununu apologized soon afterwards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A few months later, Sununu again caused controversy for the Romney campaign when he said that the reason he believed former Secretary of State, Colin Powell (a Republican) endorsed President Obama over Romney was because both Powell and Obama are the same race.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After the election, Sununu blamed Romney's loss to Obama on Obama's supporters being "dependent" on government programs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sununu is president of JHS Associates, Ltd. and a partner in Trinity International Partners, a private financial firm. He is also a member of Honorary Council of Advisors for U.S.-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards and honors

He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1990 for exceptionally significant creativity in energy systems development, in engineering education, and in integration of technological advances with public policy.Template:Citation needed

Personal life

Sununu in 2015

Sununu was married to the former Nancy Hayes, with whom he had eight children, including former U.S. senator John E. Sununu and former governor of New Hampshire Chris Sununu. In recent years, he moved from Salem, New Hampshire, to Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, to be closer to relatives. He and his wife were subsequently elected as the town's honorary hog reeves and poundkeepers.<ref name="PH032507">Morse, Susan. "From governor to hog reeve". Portsmouth Herald. March 25, 2007</ref> The title is usually given to an unsuspecting newcomer each year.

Sununu's daughter Cathy is the president of the Portsmouth Museum of Art in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.<ref name="waterfront">Template:Cite news</ref>

Sununu is a fluent Spanish speaker.<ref name="Behind" />

On September 7, 2024, Nancy Sununu died following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In popular culture

In the 1991 police comedy film The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, Sununu is played by Peter Van Norden.<ref name="imdb"> Template:IMDb title</ref>

In January 1995, John Sununu made a cameo appearance on the first episode of the Delta Burke CBS sitcom, Women of the House, titled "Miss Sugarbaker Goes to Washington". In the episode, Suzanne Sugarbaker is a guest on the CNN political program, Crossfire. Michael Kinsley also appears.

In the 1996 film Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie, a clip (from This Island Earth) of a jet plane prompts Tom Servo to quip, "John Sununu goes for a haircut." The joke was a recurring one on the original series, as well. It refers to Sununu’s use of a military jet for personal business while he was Bush I’s Chief of Staff.

In the 1996 episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. "Glen Campbell," Matt Groening mentions he makes it a point to watch shows that having rhyming titles, and after several real show titles, he mentions "Yoo-Hoo, It's John Sununu."

Political endorsements

After the first presidential debate of 2016, Sununu endorsed Donald Trump for President of the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In early January 2024, Sununu endorsed Nikki Haley for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• List of minority governors and lieutenant governors in the United States
• List of United States governors born outside the United States

External links

• Profile at the Heartland Institute
• Profile at SourceWatch
• Template:C-SPAN

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