Hershel Wayne Gober (born December 21, 1936
) is a former government official and
Vietnam War veteran. He served as acting
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) on two occasions during the administration of
Bill Clinton: first from July 1, 1997,
until January 2, 1998,
between the resignation of Secretary
Jesse Brown
Jesse Brown (March 27, 1944 – August 15, 2002) was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps who served as United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997.
Early life
Jesse Brown was born on Mar ...
and the appointment of
Togo D. West Jr.
Togo Dennis West Jr. (June 21, 1942 – March 8, 2018) was an American attorney and public official. A Democrat, he was the third person to occupy the post of Secretary of Veterans Affairs during the Bill Clinton administration serving from 199 ...
as acting secretary, and the second time from July 25, 2000,
until January 20, 2001,
after the resignation of Secretary West; this time Gober served in the post until the end of the Clinton presidency.
He started out in the VA as deputy secretary, serving from February 4, 1993,
until August 10, 2000.
Gober was also briefly secretary-designate, when Clinton named him on July 31, 1997,
[U.S. Senate]
Chapter 10: Cabinet Nominations Rejected or Withdrawn
Accessed December 24, 2007. to replace
Jesse Brown
Jesse Brown (March 27, 1944 – August 15, 2002) was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps who served as United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997.
Early life
Jesse Brown was born on Mar ...
. However, the nomination was withdrawn before Senate action on October 27 the same year
[ because of fears that nomination hearings for Gober would become heated due to questions about a 1993 claim of sexual misconduct made against him; he also wished to stay as Deputy Secretary.
During his tenure Gober, as a close and longtime aide, played an important role in the Clinton-era VA.]
Military service
Gober served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1956 to 1959. He served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1978, retiring as a Major.
Service in Vietnam
Gober served two tours in Vietnam.
Music
In 1970, Gober released a 45 rpm single, "Picture of a Man", which received some airplay on popular music radio stations.
Gober had at least five single releases and one album as a recording artist; the first two were as Hershel Almond on Ace and Challenge in 1959. The others were on ABC ("The Proud American", 1966), "Tee Pee" (1967) and "Buddah" (1969).["On That Wisconsin Beat" (MusicGem, 2006) – Gary E. Myers]
See also
* Unsuccessful nominations to the Cabinet of the United States
References
External links
Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry
*
Profile at American President: An Online Reference ResourceRecordings of Gober singing songs in Vietnam
are available in the Edward G. Lansdale collection at the Hoover Institution Archives
The Hoover Institution Library and Archives is a research center and archival repository located at Stanford University, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. Built around a collection amassed by Stanford graduate Herbert Hoover prio ...
, Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gober, Hershel Wayne
1936 births
Living people
20th-century American politicians
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
Clinton administration cabinet members
Military personnel from Arkansas
People from Drew County, Arkansas
Recipients of the Soldier's Medal
Rejected or withdrawn nominees to the United States Executive Cabinet
State cabinet secretaries of Arkansas
United States Deputy Secretaries of Veterans Affairs
United States Marine Corps officers