Richard Carmona
Richard Carmona | |
|---|---|
| 17th Surgeon General of the United States | |
| In office August 5, 2002 – July 31, 2006 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Kenneth P. Moritsugu (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth P. Moritsugu (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Henry Carmona November 22, 1949 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (2011–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Independent (before 2011) |
| Spouse | Diana Sanchez |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Bronx Community College (AA) University of California, San Francisco (BS, MD) University of Arizona (MPH) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army U.S. Public Health Service |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Unit | Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Army Special Forces |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Richard Henry Carmona (born November 22, 1949) is an American physician, nurse, police officer, public health administrator, and politician. He was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as the seventeenth Surgeon General of the United States. Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002, Carmona left office at the end of July 2006 upon the expiration of his term. After leaving office, Carmona was highly critical of the Bush administration for suppressing scientific findings which conflicted with the administration's ideological agenda.
In August 2006, Carmona returned home to Tucson, Arizona. In November 2011, he announced he would seek the Democratic Party's nomination for United States Senate in the hopes of succeeding outgoing Republican Senator Jon Kyl, despite being registered as a political independent. He narrowly lost to Republican challenger Congressman Jeff Flake.