Gary Hart Net Worth

What is Gary Hart's Net Worth?

Gary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, and author who has a net worth of $7 million. Gary Hart twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, in 1984 and 1988, and although he was considered the frontrunner in the latter race he dropped out amid persistent allegations of extramarital affairs. After that, he returned to private practice and took on a number of public roles, including United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland under President Obama.

Early Life and Education

Gary Hart was born Gary Hartpence on November 28, 1936 in Ottawa, Kansas to Nina and Carl. Raised in the Church of the Nazarene, he attended Bethany Nazarene College in Bethany, Oklahoma, graduating with his Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1958. Hart subsequently enrolled at Yale Divinity School, where he earned a Bachelor of Divinity in 1961. He went on to obtain a Bachelor of Laws from Yale Law School in 1964. Much later, in 2001, Hart earned a Doctor of Philosophy from St Antony's College, Oxford.

Career Beginnings in Law

After graduating from Yale Law, Hart served as an attorney for the United States Department of Justice from 1964 to 1965. He was then admitted to the Colorado and District of Columbia bars, and served as a special assistant to the solicitor of the US Department of the Interior from 1965 to 1967. Following that, Hart entered private practice at Davis Graham & Stubbs in Denver, Colorado.

George McGovern's Presidential Campaign

For the 1972 presidential race, Hart was chosen as the national campaign director for Democratic candidate George McGovern. Although he helped steer McGovern to the nomination, he was unable to secure his victory in the general election against incumbent Richard Nixon.

US Senator

In 1974, Hart ran for a US Senate seat representing Colorado. He ended up winning the general election in a landslide victory over two-term incumbent Republican Peter Dominick. In his first term as a senator, Hart served on the Armed Services Committee and advocated for the use of smaller-scale and more mobile equipment in the military. He also served on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Environment and Public Work Committee, and from 1975 to 1976 served on the Church Committee that investigated abuses by the government. Hart won reelection in 1980 against Colorado Secretary of State Mary Estill Buchanan. In his second term, he sponsored the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984.

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US Naval Reserve

Not long after his reelection to the Senate, Hart was commissioned as a lieutenant junior grade in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. In 1981, he served ten days of active duty in the Sixth Fleet, leading to a promotion to lieutenant on the first day of 1982.

1984 Presidential Campaign

Hart ran for president for the first time in 1984. Although he didn't have much name recognition with the general electorate, he gained considerable publicity when he started canvassing as early as September 1983. In the New Hampshire primary, Hart took a hugely surprising lead over his closest competitor, Walter Mondale. However, Hart struggled with public opinion over the subsequent months and his campaign suffered massive debt. He ultimately lost the Democratic nomination to Walter Mondale at the Democratic National Convention.

1988 Presidential Campaign

Choosing not to run for reelection to the Senate in 1986, Hart went on to mount a second bid for president when he announced his candidacy in the spring of 1987. Although he was widely considered the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination this time, his campaign was quickly embattled due to allegations he was having extramarital affairs. Just weeks after Hart announced his candidacy, the Miami Herald claimed that an anonymous informant contacted the paper about Hart having an affair with a friend. In response, Herald reporters went to Hart's townhouse in Washington, DC and found him with a young woman later identified as Donna Rice. This led to two separate articles in the Herald and the New York Times, sparking a national scandal. Hart brushed off the allegations, as did Rice, but the scandal wouldn't die down. In early May, Hart suspended his campaign after the Washington Post threatened to run a story about another woman he had an affair with. However, he made a surprise return to the race at the end of 1987 and climbed back to the top of the national polls. Following more bad press, though, he dropped out of the race again after Super Tuesday.

Post-1988

Hart returned to private practice after his failed 1988 presidential bid. He also served in a number of public roles over the ensuing years, including as chair of the Hart-Rudman Commission on behalf of President Clinton. Additionally, Hart returned to writing, penning such novels as "Sins of the Fathers," "I, Che Guevara," and "Durango" and such non-fiction books as "The Minuteman: Restoring an Army of the People," "The Fourth Power: A New Grand Strategy for the United States in the 21st Century," "James Monroe," and "The Thunder and the Sunshine: Four Seasons in a Burnished Life." From 2014 to 2017, he served as the United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland under President Obama. Among his many other activities, Hart sits on various advisory boards and councils, does consulting and public speaking, and lectures at universities.

Marriage and Children

In 1958, Hart married Lee Ludwig, whom he met in college. They had two children named John and Andrea. The couple remained married until Ludwig's passing in 2021.

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