Bonitati, Robert: Files, 1981-1983

Office of Public Liaison

Special Assistant to the President for Labor

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Scope and Content Note

Content Note

Robert Bonitati was the principal public liaison staff member for labor relations and the Reagan Administration. In addition to his role as labor liaison, Bonitati was also assigned responsibilities for liaison to public service groups and natural resource issues and groups. His collection contains a small amount of work product on these additional responsibilities.

The Robert Bonitati collection consists of three series; SERIES I: Subject Files, SERIES II: Correspondence and Memoranda, and SERIES III: Phone Logs.

Series List

SERIES I: SUBJECT FILE

SERIES II: CORRESPONDENCE AND MEMORANDA

SERIES III: PHONE LOGS

Biography

Biography

Robert Bonitati was a longtime government affairs specialist and Republican activist. He served in the first Reagan Administration as the Special Assistant to President Reagan for labor relations within the Office of Public Liaison.

Bonitati was born on September 19, 1938 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in political science. Following his graduation he was the Assistant Dean of Men at Arizona State University, 1962-1964 and Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Tennessee, 1964-1966.

While at Tennessee, Bonitati met Tennessee Senator Howard Baker (Republican) and worked on Baker’s reelection committee. In 1967, he joined Senator Baker’s staff as his Senate Chief of Staff.

After leaving Senator Baker’s staff, Bonitati worked in the Nixon Administration as the Assistant to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, 1973-1974 and then as Associate Director of the Cost of Living Council, 1974. Leaving the White House, Bonitati became the Public Affairs Director and lobbyist for the Airline Pilot’s Association for six years.

Soon after joining the Reagan Administration as public liaison to organized labor, Bonitati was one of the small group of White House staff accompanying the President to the Washington Hilton for his speech to the Building Trades Union on March 30, 1981. Bonitati was reportedly walking out with the President from the speech when he was stopped by a friend precisely when the President exited and was shot by John Hinckley.

Bonitati stayed active in Republican politics and government affairs after leaving the White House. He first worked for public relations and government affairs firm, the Kamber Group, and later he joined The Hawthorne Group, another public affairs firm. Bonitati was also part-owner of a local Washington, D.C. flower shop.

During the 1990s, Richard Tafel, who served as president of the national gay group, Log Cabin Republicans, states that Bonitati was a “key advisor for Log Cabin in the 1990s. He gave me great advice, great strategy.”

After retirement, Bonitati split his time between Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and Fort Lauderdale, Florida Bonitati died in Tampa, Florida undergoing cancer treatment on November 15, 2017.

Record Type

Textual

Last Modified Date

2025-05-09

WHORM Alpha File

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Bonitati, Robert: Files, 1981-1983

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