John Goodwin Tower (September 29, 1925 – April 5, 1991) was an American politician, serving as a Republican United States Senator from Texas from 1961 to 1985. He was the first Republican Senator elected from Texas since Reconstruction. Tower also led the Tower Commission, which investigated the Iran-Contra Affair, and was an unsuccessful nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense in 1989.
Born in Houston, Texas, he served in the Pacific Theater of World War II. After the war, he worked as a radio announcer and taught at Midwestern University (now Midwestern State University) in Wichita Falls. He switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in the early 1950s and worked on the 1956 presidential campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Tower lost Texas's 1960 Senate election to Democratic Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, but performed relatively well compared to his Republican predecessors. With the Democratic victory in the 1960 presidential election, Johnson vacated his Senate seat to become Vice President of the United States. In the 1961 special election, Tower defeated Johnson's appointed successor, Bill Blakley. He won re-election in 1966, 1972, and 1978.
Upon joining the Senate in 1961, Tower became the first Republican Senator to represent a state in the South since 1913. He was the only Southern Republican in the Senate until Strom Thurmond switched parties in 1964. A political conservative earlier in his career, Tower staunchly opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Starting in 1976 with his support of Gerald Ford rather than Ronald Reagan in the 1976 Republican primaries, Tower began to alienate many fellow conservatives. He became less conservative over time, later voicing support for legal abortion and opposing President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative in 1982.
Tower retired from the Senate in 1985. After leaving Congress, he served as chief negotiator of the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks with the Soviet Union and led the Tower Commission. The commission's report was highly critical of the Reagan administration's relations with Iran and the Contras. In 1989, incoming President George H. W. Bush chose Tower as his nominee for Secretary of Defense, but his nomination was rejected by the Senate. After the defeat, Tower chaired the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. Tower died in the 1991 Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 crash.
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Some of their strengths
John Goodwin Tower has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Generous, Intelligent, Hardworking, Loyal, Optimistic, Bold, and Confident.
Intelligent and Inquisitive
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, John Goodwin Tower is someone who is an intelligent, inquisitive, and imaginative person, who is practical, considerate, kind, and diplomatic in dealings with others. A person who is ambitious and motivated.
Passionate and Intense
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know John Goodwin Tower well know them as someone who can be passionate, proud, and intense, like the sun or a blazing fire.
Optimistic and Frank
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe John Goodwin Tower as someone who is optimistic, principled, adventurous, and direct.
A person who isn't shy about expressing their opinions, loves competition, loves learning things themself, who is known for being inventive and original, and who loves being surrounded by friends and loved ones.
Exacting and Achievement-oriented
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, John Goodwin Tower is someone who has very high expectations for people, and who can be extremely focused on achieving goals and objectives.
They are also someone who is reflective, mysterious, and purposeful, who enjoys quiet and solo work, and who thrives in positions where there is no need to report to someone else.
Justice-seeking and Peaceful
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, John Goodwin Tower tends to be someone who loves peace and is ready to go to any costs to achieve it. Who has a taste for the good things in life, tends to be a good organizer, has a thirst for knowledge, and who tends to have the respect of friends and acquaintances.
Some of John Goodwin Tower's challenges
While John Goodwin Tower has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, John Goodwin Tower can be Stubborn, Hesitant, Narcissistic, Indecisive, Unrealistic, Suspicious, and Pushy.
Hesitant and Narcissistic
One of John Goodwin Tower's key challenges is that they are someone who can be hesitant and narcissistic.
John Goodwin Tower must also exercise caution as they can be short-tempered and aggressive, and can be excessive and unrealistic.
Pushy and Restless
John Goodwin Tower is someone who can be arrogant and bossy, who can have difficulty concentrating and focusing, be unable to separate emotions from business decisions, and who can engage in excessive spending in support of an expensive lifestyle and habits.
Pleasure-seeking and Indecisive
Finally, John Goodwin Tower also can put others first too much, and hem-and-haw too much when making a decision.
