Pete Hegseth Was Confirmed as Defense Secretary, but Where Did He Go to School?

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was confirmed to his role after Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tie-breaking and decisive vote. Now, following the news that Hegseth will be in charge of one of the biggest agencies in the country, many want to know more about what his eduction credentials are.

Pete was believed by many to be unqualified for the role of defense secretary because he had been accused of regularly drinking and cheating on his wives, and because he didn't have experience running an organization the size of the Department of Defense. Here's what we know about his educational background.

Hegseth went to Forest Lake High School in Forest Lake, Minn., and then attended Princeton University from 1999-2003.

According to reporting in The Daily Princetonian, Hegseth emerged quite quickly as one of the major conservative voices on the campus during his time at the school. He was part of the schools ROTC program, and also on the varsity basketball team.

He was also a part of the faith-based group Athletes in Action, and he took many politics classes during his time on campus. Some professors who had Hegseth apparently remember him as "a well-respected, intelligent, and disciplined student."

Cameron Atkinson, who graduated the same year as Hegseth and knew him when they were on campus together, said that the allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse don't mesh with the young man he knew on campus.

“He was as smug then as he is now. He sounds wicked smart because he is,” Atkinson added.

“There was nothing in our somewhat shared path that would make me think of allegations of sexual assault or public intoxication,” Atkinson said. “Anything could happen … but it’s not like he was a boozer and womanizer, assaulting or being inappropriate with women even 20 years ago.”

Hegseth has denied the assault allegations, and he's also said that he would not drink if he were to be appointed secretary of defense.

“Interpersonally, I found him to be fair, thoughtful, intelligent, and gracious to those that he was in conversation with,” Cason Cheely told the Princetonian, adding that he knew and was friendly with those of the opposite political persuasion. “I found him to be pleasant and respectful and attentive and cheerful to be around."

More recently, Hegseth has developed a negative view of Princeton and other elite institutions, saying that they are an “educational cartel” that “indoctrinates” students. Of course, it's worth noting that Hegseth seemed to be pretty comfortable as a conservative on campus during his time with the university. A decade after he went to Princeton, he also got a graduate degree at Harvard.

Hegseth, who has never run an organization nearly as large as that inside the Pentagon, has now been given a massive amount of responsibility. His narrow confirmation suggests that there were plenty of senators with concerns about the nomination. Only time will tell whether those concerns were valid or whether some of his former classmates were right that he could be up to the job.