Robert Lighthizer
American attorney and government official (born 1947) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Robert Emmet Lighthizer (/ˈlaɪthaɪzər/; born October 11, 1947)[1] is an American attorney and government official who was the United States Trade Representative in the Donald Trump administration from 2017 to 2021.[2]
Robert Lighthizer | |
---|---|
18th United States Trade Representative | |
In office May 15, 2017 – January 20, 2021 | |
President | Donald Trump |
Deputy | Jeffrey Gerrish C.J. Mahoney Dennis Shea |
Preceded by | Michael Froman |
Succeeded by | Katherine Tai |
1st United States Deputy Trade Representative | |
In office April 15, 1983 – August 16, 1985 | |
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Alan Woods |
Personal details | |
Born | Robert Emmet Lighthizer (1947-10-11) October 11, 1947 (age 76) Ashtabula, Ohio, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Children | 2 |
Education | Georgetown University (BA, JD) |
After he graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1973, Lighthizer joined the firm of Covington and Burling in Washington, D.C. He left the firm in 1978 to work as chief minority counsel and later staff director and chief of staff of the Senate Committee on Finance under Chairman Bob Dole. In 1983, Robert Lighthizer was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be Deputy U.S. Trade Representative for President Ronald Reagan. In 1985, Lighthizer joined the Washington office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP as a partner and led the firm's international trade group.
On January 3, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he intended to nominate Lighthizer as his U.S. Trade Representative.[3] Lighthizer was confirmed by the Senate on May 11, 2017, by a vote of 82–14.[4] Lighthizer was an architect of American trade policy during Trump's presidency.[5] A protectionist, trade skeptic and China hawk, he embroiled the United States in trade wars with China and the European Union, as well as weakened the World Trade Organization Appellate Body.[5][6][7][8]
Along with other Cabinet-level officials in the Trump Administration, he left office on January 20, 2021, following the inauguration of President Joe Biden.