William Perry
William Perry 19th United States Secretary of Defense In office February 3, 1994 – January 23, 1997 President Bill Clinton Deputy John M. Deutch John P. White Preceded by Les Aspin Succeeded by William Cohen 19th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense In office January 21, 1993 – February 3, 1994 President Bill Clinton Preceded by Donald J. Atwood Jr. Succeeded by John M. Deutch Personal details Born William James Perry (1927-10-11) October 11, 1927 (age 87) Vandergrift, Pennsylvania Political party Democratic Alma mater Stanford University Pennsylvania State University Religion Unitarian William James Perry (born October 11, 1927) is an American mathematician, engineer, and businessman who was the United States Secretary of Defense from February 3, 1994, to January 23, 1997, under President Bill Clinton. He also served as Deputy Secretary of Defense (1993–1994) and Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (1977–1981). Perry is currently the Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor (emeritus) at Stanford University, with a joint appointment at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the School of Engineering. He is also a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. He serves as co-director of the Nuclear Risk Reduction initiative and the Preventive Defense Project. He is an expert in U.S. foreign policy, national security and arms control. Former Secretary Perry also has extensive business experience and currently serves on the boards of several high-tech companies and is Chairman of Global Technology Partners. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Among Perry's numerous awards are the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1997), Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1998) and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (2002), awarded by the Emperor of Japan.