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→Early career: Dead link repair. I added a functioning URL in "the original" field for the citation to the "Leavitt, Michael Okerlund" article in the Utah History Encyclopedia (1994). I also added an archived copy of the article and a link to the Encyclopedia's home page / table of contents. |
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{{Other people|Michael Leavitt}}
{{Infobox officeholder
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|term_end1 = January 26, 2005
|predecessor1 = [[Christine Todd Whitman]]
|successor1 = [[Stephen L. Johnson (politician, born 1951)|Stephen L. Johnson]]
|office2 = Chair of the [[National Governors Association]]
|term_start2 = August 10, 1999
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}}
'''Michael Okerlund Leavitt''' (born February 11, 1951) is an American [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] politician who served as the [[List of Governors of Utah|14th
Leavitt started his career in 1972 and worked in the insurance and risk management industry until 1992. From 1984 until his election as Governor of Utah in 1992, he was the [[president (corporate title)|president]] and [[chief executive officer]] (CEO) of [[The Leavitt Group]]. As governor, Leavitt worked to establish [[Western Governors University]] and the first charter schools in Utah, led the state's preparation for the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] in Utah, was a leader in the implementation of a modernized system of [[sales tax]] on [[e-commerce]] throughout the United States, negotiated the largest land exchanges between a state and the federal government, initiated an engineering education initiative, worked on the devolution of welfare to the states, and established the Utah Centennial Highway Fund which featured design build highway construction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.barrons.com/articles/SB943659587865653349|title=Tax Freedom for E-Commerce?|accessdate=6 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/1999/1/30/19421541/highway-fund-may-need-refueling|title=Highway fund may need refueling|date=30 January 1999 }}</ref>
Leavitt resigned as governor in 2003 after he was successfully nominated by President [[George W. Bush]] to lead the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]]; he was succeeded as governor by [[Olene Walker]], his lieutenant governor.<ref name="The New York Times">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/30/us/olene-walker-utahs-first-female-governor-dies-at-85.html|title=Olene Walker, Utah's First Female Governor, Dies at 85|date=2015-11-29|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-06-06|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Leavitt was promoted to Secretary of Health and Human Services at the start of Bush's second term, serving until the conclusion of the Bush administration. As HHS Secretary, he oversaw the implementation of [[Medicare Part D]], developed the National Pandemic Plan, promoted value-based health care, mitigated the effects of [[Hurricane Katrina]], opened FDA offices in China, India, South America, and reauthorized SCHIP and TANF.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsday.com/opinion/commentary/leavitt-follow-part-d-model-for-medicare-p91655|title=Leavitt: Follow Part D model for Medicare|date=23 May 2011 }}</ref>
Leavitt now works as a health care advisor, investor, and independent corporate director.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bipartisanpolicy.org/topics/health |title=Policy Topic: Health | Bipartisan Policy Center |website=Bipartisanpolicy.org |access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> In August 2021, he became president of [[The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/former-utah-governor-new-tabernacle-choir-president|title=Former Utah Governor is New Tabernacle Choir President|date=6 August 2021}}</ref>
==Early life and education==
Leavitt was born in [[Cedar City, Utah]], the son of Phyllis Anne (Okerlund) and [[Dixie L.
Leavitt is a member of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church). He is a descendant of an old [[Massachusetts]] [[Puritan]] family, and a direct descendant of [[Dudley Leavitt (Mormon pioneer)|Dudley Leavitt]], a [[Mormon]] pioneer.{{cn|date=June 2024}}
==Career==
===Early career===
Leavitt's business career started with his joining
In 1976, Leavitt assisted his father, then a Utah state senator, in an unsuccessful campaign for governor. He worked on a number of U.S. Senate campaigns through the 1980s for [[Jake Garn]] and [[Orrin Hatch]].<ref name="Utah History Encyclopedia"/>
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===Public service===
====Governor of Utah====
Leavitt first ran for governor in 1992.<ref name="auto1"/> He had tough competition in the
A holiday fire shortly before noon on December 15, 1993, destroyed much of the [[Utah Governor's Mansion]], but spared the lives of the first family and staff (Jacalyn Leavitt and some members of the family and staff were in the home at the time of the fire).
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Leavitt was re-elected in 1996 with the largest vote total in state history.<ref name="auto1"/> While Governor, he and [[Roy Romer]] of Colorado were the two key founders of [[Western Governors University]] in 1997, one of the first exclusively online schools in the nation.<ref name="auto1"/> In addition to Leavitt and Romer, 17 other governors signed legislation creating the school as a [[non-profit]] [[private university]].<ref name="auto1"/>
In 2000, Leavitt became only the second governor in Utah history to be re-elected to a third term.<ref name="auto1"/> As governor, he held leadership positions in national and regional organizations,
==== EPA Administrator ====
On August 11, 2003, President
At the EPA he implemented higher standards for ozone, diesel fuels and other air pollutants. He organized and managed a collaboration to develop a federal plan to clean up the [[Great Lakes]].<ref name="auto1"/> He is also the co-author of an environmental policy called Enlibra.<ref name="auto2"/>
==== Secretary of Health and Human Services ====
On December 13, 2004, Leavitt was nominated by Bush to succeed [[Tommy Thompson]] as Secretary of
Leavitt also served on the [[Homeland Security Advisory Council]]. In August 2007, Leavitt became the first cabinet-level [[blog]]ger in U.S. history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15567265|title=Human Services Secretary Takes Blogging Seriously|website=[[NPR]] }}</ref>
====Presidential
During the [[2012
In
In the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, Leavitt was part of a team organized by the Center for Public Service and the Center for Presidential Transition who advised both Republicans and Democrats' presidential campaigns on the development of effective transitions plans.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/11/27/former-utah-governor/|title=A former Utah governor wrote the blueprint for presidential transitions. Here’s how it should work.|website=The Salt Lake Tribune|accessdate=6 April 2024}}</ref>
====Electoral reform====
In 2013, Leavitt partnered with former Utah First Lady [[Norma Matheson]]] and businesswoman [[Gail Miller (businesswoman)|Gail Miller]] to launch "Count My Vote", a [[bipartisan]] effort to push for state [[electoral reform]].<ref name=slt>{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Gehrke |title=Norma Matheson, the 'godmother' of the Utah Democratic Party, dies at 89 |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2019/07/29/norma-matheson-godmother/ |work=[[Salt Lake Tribune]] |date=2019-07-29 |access-date=2020-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729164712/https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2019/07/29/norma-matheson-godmother/ |archive-date=2019-07-29 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=slt2>{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Gehrke |title=Norma Matheson, Leavitt to help lead Count My Vote |url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=56866885&itype=CMSID |work=[[Salt Lake Tribune]] |date=2013-09-13 |access-date=2020-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128140349/https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=56866885&itype=CMSID |archive-date=2020-01-28 |url-status=live}}</ref> Together, they successfully lobbied for a new law allowing candidates access to the primary election ballot by gathering signatures in Utah.<ref name=slt/>
===Leavitt Partners===
In 2009, Leavitt organized Leavitt Partners, a consulting firm to advise clients in health care policy matters.<ref name=Cato>Cannon, Michael (2011-06-28) [http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/republicans-getting-rich-off-obamacare/ Republicans Getting Rich off ObamaCare], [[Cato Institute]]</ref> The firm evolved into a leading authority on value-based health care.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nam.edu/initiatives/vital-directions-for-health-and-health-care/vital-directions-steering-committee-bios/|title=Vital Directions for Health & Health Care}}</ref>
In April 2021, Leavitt Partners merged with Health Management
===Tabernacle Choir president===
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===Philanthropy===
Leavitt's family [[Foundation (charity)|charitable foundation]], the Dixie and Anne Leavitt Foundation, was established by the Leavitt family in 2000, and the family has donated nearly $9 million of assets to it since.<ref>{{Cite
==Electoral history==
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{{s-bef|before=[[Christine T. Whitman|Christine Whitman]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency]]|years=2003–2005}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Stephen L. Johnson (politician, born 1951)|Stephen Johnson]]}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Tommy Thompson]]}}
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