Svahn, John A. (Jack): Files, 1981-1987

Policy Development

Assistant to the President

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Scope and Content Note

The Library is currently doing an arrangement project for the entire Office of Policy Development. Jack Svahn's collection will be finalized within the next year. The Library has done a preliminary arrangement of his material, but series may change and the contents may change as we continue to find more material for this collection.

Preliminary series are: SERIES I: Subject File; SERIES II: Budget Files; SERIES III: Handwritten Notes; SERIES IV: Drug Abuse Policy Office Weekly Reports; SERIES V: Deaver Investigation; SERIES VI: Job Corps Letters; SERIES VII: Calendars/Schedules; SERIES VIII: Phone Logs; SERIES IX: Press Clippings and Briefings; SERIES X: Publications; and SERIES XI: National Aquarium Material.

Series List

SERIES 01: SUBJECT FILE

SERIES 02: BUDGET FILES

SERIES 03: HANDWRITTEN NOTES

SERIES 04: DRUG ABUSE POLICY OFFICE WEEKLY REPORTS

SERIES 05: DEAVER INVESTIGATION

This series consists of select material from Jack Svahn's office. The material was deemed responsive to White House Counsel Peter J. Wallison's May 12, 1986 request for White House Staff cooperation with the FBI investigations of certain allegations regarding Michael Deaver, former Deputy Chief of Staff. Svahn requested Records Managment provide him with material regarding his daily schedules and telephone logs from May 1984 to May 1986, and his records relating to acid rain. This series consists of some of the searches done for material and responsive material from Svahn's work product. It is highly likely that most of this material is duplicates of other material within the Svahn collection.

SERIES 06: JOB CORPS LETTERS

SERIES 07: CALENDARS/SCHEDULES

SERIES 08: PHONE LOGS

SERIES 09: PRESS MATERIAL

SERIES 10: PUBLICATIONS

SERIES 11: NATIONAL AQUARIUM MATERIAL

Biography

Brief Biography

John "Jack" A. Svahn is a former government executive and a public policy management consultant.

Svahn received his B.A. degree in political science from the University of Washington.

Svahn's federal government service began in the Nixon and Ford Administrations. From 1973 to 1976, Svahn held a succession of federal positions in the Social and Rehabilitation Service (SRS) of the then Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW). He was Acting Administrator of the SRS and Director of the U.S. Office of Child Support Enforcement.

Before joining the Reagan Administration, Svahn was manager of government services for the accounting firm of Deloitte Haskins and Sells, Inc. from 1976-1979. After leaving Deloitte, Svahn became a consultant specializing in public policy management problems.

Returning to assist President-elect Reagan, Svahn was the head of the Task Force on the Health Care Financing Administration for the 1980 Transition Team. He then served as an Under Secretary of Health and Human Services and concurrently, as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration.

Svahn was appointed Assistant to the President for Policy Development in September 1983, succeeding Edwin Harper. Svahn left the White House in late 1986. Gary Bauer.was appointed Deputy Assistant to the President for Policy Development to succeed Svahn.

Following his time in Washington, DC, Svahn focused on his consulting business, In 2011, Svahn published a memoir of his long association with Ronald Reagan, "There Must Be A Pony in Here Somewhere:" Twenty Years with Ronald Reagan: A Memoir.

He and his wife, Jill, now reside in Reno, Nevada.

Record Type

Textual

Last Modified Date

2025-01-02

WHORM Alpha File

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Svahn, John A. (Jack): Files, 1981-1987

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