Bill Bradley has been a national leader for more than thirty years and is well known for his hard work, intelligence, candor and vision. From winning an Olympic gold medal in basketball in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, to representing New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1979 to 1997, to running for President in 2000, Bill Bradley exemplifies America’s best qualities.
Bill Bradley was a three-time All-American basketball player at Princeton University and graduated with honors in 1965 with a degree in American History. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, where he earned a graduate degree after studying politics, philosophy, and economics.
Bradley went on to be a star professional basketball player for the New York Knicks from 1967 to 1977. During that time the Knicks won two National Basketball Association championships (1970 and 1973). In recognition of his contribution to the sport, Bill Bradley was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Whether passing legislation or shaping national opinion, Bradley focused on large-scale reform while serving in the Senate from 1979 to 1997. He was the driving force behind the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which lowered tax rates for millions of Americans and closed billions of dollars of special interest loopholes. He advocated expanded global trade and federal budget priorities that bolstered the national economy and met critical human needs.
Bradley is a managing director of Allen & Company, Incorporated and a member of the Board of Directors of Starbucks; from 2001 until 2004, he served as chief outside adviser to McKinsey & Company’s non-profit practice. From 1997 to 1999, he was a senior adviser and vice chairman of the International Council of J.P. Morgan & Company Incorporated. During that time he also served as an essayist for CBS Evening News, and as a visiting professor at Stanford University, Notre Dame University, and the University of Maryland. Currently, he has a radio show American Voices on Sirius Satellite Radio.
Bradley has authored six books on American politics, culture, and economy. In 1996, Bradley authored a best-selling memoir, Time Present, Time Past, about his life as a Senator and his travels throughout the country. In the fall of 1998, his book of basketball inspired essays, Values of the Game, was published and went on to be a New York Times best seller, and his book about being a professional basketball player on the road in America, Life on the Run, has become a sports classic since it was first published in 1976. Bradley is also the author of The Journey From Here and The Fair Tax. His latest book is New American Story, a thoughtful review of current politics and a collection of ideas to improve major policy issues (March 2007).
Bradley has been married since 1974 to his wife, Ernestine, a German-born professor of German and comparative literature. They live in New Jersey with their daughter, Theresa Anne.