Aspin, Les (1938-1995), was United States secretary of defense under President Bill Clinton in 1993 and 1994. Before his appointment, Aspin had served since 1971 in the House of Representatives as a Democrat from Wisconsin. He had also served as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee almost continuously since 1985. As secretary, Aspin helped plan major reductions in U.S. military bases and personnel. While he was secretary, bans were lifted on women flying combat missions and serving on combat naval vessels. In addition, regulations designed to prevent homosexuals from serving in the armed forces were relaxed.
Leslie Aspin, Jr., was born on July 21, 1938, in Milwaukee. In 1956, he enrolled at Yale University, where he joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps. He received a bachelor’s degree from Yale in 1960 and a bachelor’s degree from Oxford University in England in 1962. Aspin completed a Ph.D. degree in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1965. From 1966 to 1968, he served as an Army captain and as an analyst for the Department of Defense. He died on May 21, 1995.
