Thomas Kean

Thomas Howard Kean Sr. ( KAYN; born April 21, 1935) is an American statesman and academic administrator who served as the 48th governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the New Jersey General Assembly and was chair of the 9/11 Commission from 2002 to 2004. Kean is a member of the Kean political family. His father, Robert Kean, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and his grandfather, Hamilton Fish Kean, served in the U.S. Senate. After graduating from Princeton University, Kean worked as a history teacher and obtained a master's degree from Teachers College at Columbia University. He served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1968 to 1978 and held the role of speaker of the Assembly from 1972 to 1973. Kean was elected governor of New Jersey in 1981 and was re-elected in 1985. A moderate Republican, Kean is regarded as a popular governor who promoted New Jersey tourism. Following his two terms as governor, Kean served as president of Drew University from 1990 until 2005. After the September 11 attacks, Kean was appointed by President George W. Bush as chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, widely known as the 9/11 Commission. On July 22, 2004, Kean and the commission released their findings in the 9/11 Commission Report. Kean is the father of U.S. representative Thomas Kean Jr., who has represented New Jersey's 7th congressional district since 2023.