Charles Timothy Hagel: A Life in Photographs

On October 4, 1946, Charles Dean and Betty Hagel welcomed a baby boy into the world. This boy would go on to fight in a war, work for a U.S. Representative and three U.S. Presidents, be an advocate for veterans, and serve as U.S. Senator and U.S. Secretary of Defense. For now, Charles (Chuck) Timothy Hagel was simply a baby in North Platte, Nebraska. 

In this exhibit, learn about Chuck Hagel's roots in Nebraska, his family's commitment to serving their country, and Hagel's own service. Find images of his first campaign for U.S. Senate, his work in Washington, D.C., and his rise from U.S. Senator to Intelligence Advisory Board co-chairman and eventually Secretary of Defense under President Barack Obama. Finally, discover his life as son, brother, husband, father, and leader. 

These photographs are a sample of the images in the U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel Archives. Discover this material by searching our Archives & Special Collections database and visiting us in Criss Library.

Credits

This exhibit was curated by Hagel Fellow Darby Reiners, 2015. Sources for the text include Hagel's Department of Defense website biography, Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward by Charlyne Berens, and America: Our Next Chapter by Chuck Hagel with Peter Kaminsky.