Richard Schultz Schweiker was born on June 1, 1926, in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He earned his B.A. at Pennsylvania State University, becoming Phi Beta Kappa in the process. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969, serving on the House Armed Services Committee and the Government Operations Committee.

His career continued in the U.S. Senate (1969-1981), where he became the ranking Republican on the Labor Committee, the Human Resources Committee, the Health sub-Committee and the Labor-HEW sub-Committee. During the early years of the Reagan administration, Schweiker was secretary of health and human services (1981-1983).