Pat Robertson

Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (born March 22, 1930) is an American Christian televangelist, entrepreneur, and Christian right political activist. He is the founder of numerous organizations and corporations including: the American Center for Law and Justice, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), the Christian Coalition, the Flying Hospital, International Family Entertainment, Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation, and Regent University. He is the host of The 700 Club, a TV program which airs on many channels in the United States and on CBN affiliates worldwide. His strongly conservative views have often provoked controversy, especially his statements recommending the dissolution of the barrier between church and state, the condemnation of groups he believes to be living in sin, and often violent denunciations of perceived communists or radical Islamic followers. Robertson is broadly considered a partisan of the Republican Party and launched a failed bid to be that party's candidate in the 1988 presidential election. He is a Southern Baptist and was an ordained minister with that denomination for many years, but holds to a Charismatic theology. Robertson, as a result of his seeking political office, does not speak in an official role for any church.

Life and career

Family

Robertson was born in Lexington,Virginia, into a prominent political family. His parents were Absalom Willis Robertson, a conservative Democratic United States Senator, and his wife Gladys Churchill Robertson. He married Adelia "Dede" Elmer in 1954. His family includes four children, among them Gordon P. Robertson, and at the time of writing (mid-2005) fourteen grandchildren.

Related Topics:
Lexington - Virginia - Absalom Willis Robertson - Democratic - United States Senator - Adelia "Dede" Elmer - 1954 - Gordon P. Robertson

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At a young age, Robertson was given the nickname of Pat by his six-year-old brother, Willis Robertson, Jr., who enjoyed patting him on the cheeks when he was a baby while saying "pat, pat, pat". As he got older, Robertson thought about which first name he would like people to use. He considered "Marion" to be effeminate, and "M. Gordon" to be affected, so he opted for his childhood nickname "Pat". His strong awareness for the importance of names in the creation of a public image showed itself again during his presidential run when he threatened to sue NBC news for calling him a "television evangelist" at a time when Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker were objects of scandal. He insisted upon being called a "religious broadcaster."

Related Topics:
Jimmy Swaggart - Jim Bakker

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Robertson is proud of his family history and has traced his family to such ancestors as governor of Virginia and signer of the Declaration of Independence Benjamin Harrison V, and United States presidents, William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison VI. Robertson is also related to Winston Churchill.

Related Topics:
Virginia - Declaration of Independence - Benjamin Harrison V - William Henry Harrison - Benjamin Harrison VI - Winston Churchill

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Education and military service

When he was twelve, Robertson was enrolled in the military preparatory McDonough School outside of Baltimore, Maryland. From 1944 until 1946 he began attending the Chattanooga, Tennessee military prep McCallie School. He graduated with honors and enrolled at Washington and Lee University, where he majored in history and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, one of the most prestigious honor societies in the country, and joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Robertson has said that he partied hard during his years at Washington and Lee and enjoyed spending time with young ladies from nearby girls' schools. http://www.patrobertson.com/education/

Related Topics:
McDonough School - Baltimore, Maryland - 1944 - 1946 - Chattanooga, Tennessee - McCallie School - Washington and Lee University - Phi Beta Kappa - Sigma Alpha Epsilon

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In 1948 the draft was reinstated and Robertson was given the option of joining the Marine Corps or being drafted into the army. He opted for the former, which allowed him to finish college under the condition that he attend OCS during the summer at Quantico, Virginia. He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree and was the first person to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant at a graduation ceremony at the university. In 1950, Robertson began service in the Korean War. Paul "Pete" McCloskey, Jr. asserted that Robertson served in Korea, but spent most of his time in an office in Japan. His time in the service was not in combat but as the "liquor officer" responsible for keeping the officers' clubs supplied with liquor, and that Robertson's father intervened to keep Robertson out of combat. Paul Brosman, Jr., another veteran who had served with Robertson testified in a deposition that Robertson had sexual relations with prostitutes and sexually harassed a cleaning girl. Robertson has called these allegations "an attack by liberals to discredit me."

Related Topics:
1948 - Draft - Marine Corps - OCS - Summer - Quantico, Virginia - Magna cum laude - Bachelor of Arts - Commissioned - Second Lieutenant - 1950 - Korean War - Paul "Pete" McCloskey, Jr. - Officers' clubs

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Robertson was promoted to First Lieutenant in 1952 upon his return to the United States. Robertson then went on to receive a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Yale University Law School in 1955, but was unable to pass the bar exam. Allegations have arisen that he was pressured to fail the bar exam due to his unethical conduct in the military as well as a more recent illegal abortion he had for his then girlfriend Helga Williams. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from New York Theological Seminary in 1959.

Related Topics:
1952 - Juris Doctor - J.D. - Yale University Law School - 1955 - Master of Divinity - New York Theological Seminary - 1959

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Religious career

In 1956 Robertson was led to faith in Christ by Dutch missionary Cornelius Vanderbreggen, who impressed Robertson both by his lifestyle and his message. Vanderbreggen quoted Proverbs (3:5, 6), "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths", which Robertson considers to be the "guiding principle" of his life. Soon afterwards, he 'spoke in tongues' for the first time. He was ordained as a minister of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1961.

Related Topics:
1956 - Dutch - Missionary - Cornelius Vanderbreggen - Proverbs - 'spoke in tongues' - 1961

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In 1960, Robertson established the Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He started it by buying a small UHF station in nearby Portsmouth. It is now seen in 180 countries and broadcast in 71 languages. In 1977, he founded the CBN Cable Network, which was renamed the CBN Family Channel in 1988 and later simply the Family Channel. When the Family Channel became too profitable for Robertson to keep it under the CBN umbrella without endangering CBN's nonprofit status, he formed International Family Entertainment, Inc. in 1990 with the Family Channel as its main subsidiary. Robertson sold the Family Channel to the News Corporation in 1997, which renamed it Fox Family. A condition of the sale was that the station would continue airing Robertson's television program The 700 Club twice a day in perpetuity, regardless of any changes of ownership. It is now owned by Disney as ABC Family.

Related Topics:
1960 - Christian Broadcasting Network - Virginia Beach, Virginia - Portsmouth - 1977 - 1988 - International Family Entertainment, Inc. - 1990 - News Corporation - 1997 - 700 Club - Disney - ABC Family

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Robertson founded CBN University in 1977 on CBN's Virginia Beach campus. It was renamed Regent University in 1989. Robertson serves as its chancellor. He is also founder and president of the American Center for Law and Justice, a public interest law firm and education group that defends the First Amendment rights of people of faith, holding the view that separation of church and state is superseded by an individual's right to worship as he or she chooses. The law firm, headquartered in the same building that houses Regent's law school, focuses on what it calls "pro-family, pro-liberty and pro-life" cases nationwide.

Related Topics:
1977 - Regent University - 1989 - Chancellor - American Center for Law and Justice - First Amendment - Separation of church and state - Law school - Pro-family - Pro-life

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1988 presidential bid

In September 1986, Robertson announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Robertson said he would only pursue the nomination if three million people signed up to volunteer for his campaign by September 1987. Three million responded, and by the time Robertson announced he'd be running in September 1987, he also had millions of dollars in his campaign fund. He surrendered his ministerial credentials and turned leadership of CBN over to his son, Tim. However, his campaign against George H. W. Bush (the incumbent Vice President) was seen as a longshot.

Related Topics:
September - 1986 - Republican - President of the United States - 1987 - George H. W. Bush

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Robertson ran on a very conservative platform. Among his policies, he wanted to ban pornography, reform the education system by allowing the Bible in public schools, eliminate Conrail and Amtrak, and eliminate departments such as the Department of Education and the Department of Energy. He also supported a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget.

Related Topics:
Conservative - Pornography - Education - Bible - Public school - Conrail - Amtrak - Department of Education - Department of Energy - Constitutional amendment

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During the presidential primary election season started in early 1988, Robertson's campaign was undermined by a statement Robertson had made about his military service.

Related Topics:
Primary election - 1988

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In his campaign literature, he stated he was a combat Marine who served in the Korean War. When word of this got out, other Marines in his battalion contradicted Robertson's version, saying he had never spent a day in a combat environment. Instead of fighting in the war, Robertson's primary responsibility was supplying alcoholic beverages for his officers.

Related Topics:
Marine - Korean War - Alcoholic beverage

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Robertson ended his campaign before the primaries were even finished. His best finish was in Washington. He later spoke at the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans and told his remaining supporters to cast their votes for Vice President George H.W. Bush, who ended up winning the nomination and the election. He then returned to CBN and has remained there since then, even though he never renewed his ministerial credentials.

Related Topics:
Washington - 1988 Republican National Convention - New Orleans - Vice President - George H.W. Bush

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Libel lawsuit

In the late 1980s, Pat Robertson sued Congressman Pete McCloskey and Representative Andy Jacobs for libel over their statements that Robertson's father used his influence to keep his son out of combat.

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The trial found letters from Robertson's father on Senate stationery to Marine officials expressing concern with Robertson's preparedness to be a combat officer. During the trial Robertson admitted he hired John Hasbrouck to interview McCloskey. Hasbrouck represented himself as a reporter for "Worldwide News Service" for this interview. Robertson admitted that he told Hasbrouck what questions to ask and reviewed the hour-long tape before deciding to sue McCloskey.

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Robertson ended the lawsuit before trial, asserting that the March 8 trial date, the day of the Super Tuesday primaries, was too inconvenient. The court ordered that Robertson pay a percentage of McCloskey's court costs, but not legal fees.

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Personal wealth

Robertson's net worth is between $200 million and $1 billion USD according to the 2002 book The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by Greg Palast. Robertson has made a number of shrewd business deals. Probably the most lucrative was the purchase of a number of FM radio stations in the 1960s (when they were viewed by most investors as worthless technology) and selling them in the 1980s for massive gains. He also has interests in such diverse assets as a shuttered California refinery.

Related Topics:
USD - 2002 - The Best Democracy Money Can Buy - Greg Palast

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Through his charitable organization, Operation Blessing International, Robertson claims to have spent $1.2 million bringing aid to refugees in Rwanda. His critics, such as Palast, claim the money was actually spent to bring heavy equipment for Robertson's African Development Corporation, a diamond mining operation. He has purchased thoroughbred race horses, although he has stated on many occasions he is opposed to gambling. Robertson claims he bought the horses because he is "amazed by their athleticism".

Related Topics:
Operation Blessing International - Refugee - Rwanda - African Development Corporation - Diamond - Mining - Race horse - Gambling

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Robertson's books have been very successul and well-selling. The Secret Kingdom, Answers to 100 of Life's Most Probing Questions, and The New World Order were each in their respective year of publication the number one religious book in America.

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