Warren Christopher

Born in Scranton, North Dakota, on October 27, 1925, Mr. Christopher received an undergraduate degree magna cum laude from the University of Southern California in February 1945. From July 1943 to September 1946, he served in the Naval Reserve, with active duty as an ensign in the Pacific Theater. He attended Stanford Law School from 1946-49, where he was President of the Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. From October 1949 to September 1950, Mr. Christopher served as law clerk to Justice William O. Douglas of the U.S. Supreme Court. He practiced law with O'Melveny & Myers from October 1950 to June 1967, becoming a partner in 1958. Mr. Christopher served as the Deputy Attorney General of the United States from June 1967 until January 20, 1969, after which he rejoined O'Melveny & Myers.  From 1977-81, Mr. Christopher served as the Deputy Secretary of State of the United States. President Carter awarded him the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, on January 16, 1981, for his role in negotiating the release of 52 American hostages in Iran.  Mr. Christopher again rejoined O'Melveny & Myers in 1981, and served as Chairman of the firm from 1982 to 1992.  In 1991, Mr. Christopher served as Chairman of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department.  In the aftermath of the Rodney King incident, the Commission proposed significant reforms of the Los Angeles Police Department which were approved overwhelmingly by a public referendum. In 1992, Mr. Christopher headed the vice presidential search for Governor Clinton and served as the Director of the Presidential Transition. On January 20, 1993, Mr. Christopher was sworn in as the 63rd Secretary of State. During his four years of service he logged more miles (780,000) in representing the United States abroad than any Secretary of State in a comparable period. At a ceremony on November 7, 1996 at which Secretary Christopher announced his intention to return to the private sector, President Clinton said:

"Today, if the children of the Middle East can imagine a future of cooperation, not conflict; if Bosnia's killing fields are once again playing fields; if the people of Haiti now live in democracy instead of under dictators, in no small measure, it is because of Warren Christopher. The cause of peace and freedom and decency have never had a more tireless or tenacious advocate.  For all Secretary Christopher's skill at diffusing crises, I believe his lasting legacy was built behind the headlines, laying the foundations for our future. Under his leadership we've taken on new threats like terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction and environment degradation." 

Mr. Christopher rejoined O'Melveny & Myers as the firm's Senior Partner on February 1, 1997. His professional activities since his return to the firm in 1997 have involved consultations on a wide variety of international matters, as well as negotiation and advice to clients relating to sensitive disputes.

 


 

 

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