Hershel W. Gober

Who is Hershel W. Gober?

Hershel Wayne Gober is a former government official and Vietnam War veteran. He served as acting United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs on two occasions during the administration of Bill Clinton. The first occasion to serve as Acting Secretary was from July 1, 1997 until January 2, 1998 between the resignation of Secretary Jesse Brown and the appointment of Togo D. West, Jr. as Acting Secretary. The second time to serve as Acting Secretary came on July 25, 2000 and lasted until January 20, 2001 after the resignation of Secretary West; this time Gober served in the post until the end of the Clinton presidency.

He started out in the VA as Deputy Secretary, serving from February 4, 1993 until August 10, 2000. Gober was also briefly Secretary-designate, when Clinton named him on July 31, 1997 to replace Jesse Brown. However, the nomination was withdrawn before Senate action on October 27 the same year. This happened because of fears nomination hearings for Gober would become heated due to questions about a 1993 claim of sexual misconduct made against him; he also wished to stay as Deputy Secretary.

During his tenure Gober played an important role in the Clinton era VA.