Warren Christopher
Warren Minor Christopher (born
October 27,
1925) is an
American diplomat and lawyer. During
Bill Clinton's first term as
President, Christopher served as the 63rd
Secretary of State.
Born in
Scranton, North Dakota, Christopher graduated from
Hollywood High School and received his undergraduate degree
magna cum laude from the
University of Southern California in February
1945. From July
1943 to September
1946, he served in the
United States Naval Reserve, with active duty as an ensign in the
Pacific Theater. He attended
Stanford Law School from
1946-
1949, where he was the founder and President of the
Stanford Law Review and was elected to the
Order of the Coif.
From October
1949 to September
1950, Christopher served as
law clerk to Justice
William O. Douglas of the
United States Supreme Court. He practiced law with the firm of
O'Melveny & Myers from October
1950 to June
1967, becoming a partner in
1958. Christopher served as Deputy Attorney General of the United States from June
1967 until
January 20,
1969, after which he rejoined O'Melveny & Myers.
Christopher was sworn in on
February 26,
1977, as the Deputy Secretary of State and served in that position until
January 20,
1981. As Deputy Secretary, he is credited with skillfully negotiating the release of 52 American hostages in Iran. He also spearheaded the
Sino-American relations with the
People's Republic of China, helped to win ratification of the
Panama Canal treaties, and headed the first interagency group on human rights. President
Jimmy Carter awarded him the
Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, on
January 16,
1981.
Mr. Christopher's professional activities have included service as President of the Los Angeles County Bar Association,
1974-
1975; Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary of the American Bar Association,
1975-
1976; member of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California
1975-
1976; and Special Counsel to California Governor
Edmund G. Brown in
1959.
Mr. Christopher's civic activities have included the following: member and President of the Board of Trustees of
Stanford University; Chairman, Carnegie Corporation of the New York Board of Trustees; Director and Vice Chairman, Council on Foreign Relations; Director,
Los Angeles World Affairs Council; Vice Chairman of the Governor's Commission on the
Watts riots in
1965-
1966; Special Consultant to Under Secretary George W. Ball on Foreign Economic Problems; President, Coordinating Council for Higher Education in the State of California; and Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In
1991, Mr. Christopher served as Chairman of the Independent Commission on the
Los Angeles Police Department, which came to be known as the
Christopher Commission. The Commission proposed significant reforms of the
Los Angeles Police Department in the aftermath of the
Rodney King incident (see
1992 Los Angeles riots), which were approved overwhelmingly by a public referendum. In
1992, Mr. Christopher headed the vice presidential search for Governor Bill Clinton and served as the Director of the Presidential Transition.
He was sworn in as the 63rd Secretary of State on
January 20,
1993, and served until
1997. Prior to his appointment, Secretary Christopher served as Chairman of the law firm, O'Melveny & Myers.
In addition to several honorary degrees, Mr. Christopher has received the following awards: the Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service for the Greatest Public Service Performed by an Elected or Appointed Official; the
UCLA Medal; the Harold Weill Medal from
New York University; the Thomas Jefferson Award in Law from the
University of Virginia Law School; and the Louis Stein Award from
Fordham Law School.
Mr. Christopher's picture hangs in the War Remnants Museum in
Ho Chi Minh City, near pictures of
John Kerry,
Robert McNamara,
Elmo Zumwalt, and other American dignitaries, in commemoration of his visit to Vietnam after normalization of relations between the two countries. (see [
1])
At the 1999 unveiling of his portrait at the Department of State, attended by President Clinton, Christopher remarked: "To anyone who has served in Washington, there is something oddly familiar about [having your portrait painted]. First, you're painted into a corner, then you're hung out to dry and, finally, you're framed."
He was sent to supervise the contested
Florida recount for
Al Gore in the
U.S. presidential election, 2000 after which the Supreme Court in the
Bush v. Gore decision decided 5-4 for
George W. Bush.
Mr. Christopher is married to the former Marie Wyllis. He has four children Lynn, Scott, Thomas, and Kristen. He has written
In the Stream of History: Shaping Foreign Policy for a New Era (
1998), and
Chances of a Lifetime (
2001). Warren Christopher is a recipient of the state of
North Dakota's
Roughrider Award.
*
Timeline of United States and China relations 1995-1997
