Ron Kirk

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Ron Kirk
16th United States Trade Representative
Incumbent
Assumed office  March 18, 2009[1]
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	Peter Allgeier
Preceded by	Susan Schwab
57th Mayor of Dallas
In office June 5, 1995 – February 20, 2002
Preceded by	Steve Bartlett
Succeeded by	Laura Miller
97th Secretary of State of Texas
In office April 4, 1994 – January 17 1995
Governor	Ann Richards
Preceded by	John Hannah, Jr.
Succeeded by	Antonio Garza, Jr.
Born	June 27, 1954 (1954-06-27) (age 55) Austin, Texas
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Austin College University of Texas at Austin
Occupation	Attorney
Religion	Methodist

Ronald "Ron" Kirk (born June 27, 1954) is the 16th United States Trade Representative, serving in the Obama administration. He served as mayor of Dallas, Texas from 1995 to 2002; he also ran for the United States Senate in 2002.

Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Texas political career 3 Post-mayoral career 3.1 Trade Representative nomination 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Early life and career

Born in Austin, Texas, Kirk is the youngest of four children; his father was a U.S. postal worker and the family was politically active.^[2] He grew up in a predominantly black community, and attended Austin's public schools.^[2] He was a leader in high school, and was elected student council president in his senior year.^[2]

Kirk attended Austin College, graduating with a degree in both political science and sociology in 1976.^[2] He then went to the University of Texas School of Law. Upon receiving his Juris Doctor in 1979,^[2] he practiced law until 1981 when he left to work in the office of then-Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen. In 1983, Kirk returned to Texas to lobby the state legislature in Austin, first as an attorney with the city of Dallas, and later with a law firm.

[edit] Texas political career

In 1994, Kirk worked for then-Texas Governor Ann Richards as Secretary of State of Texas. The following year, Kirk ran for mayor of Dallas. With support of Dallas' business community and influential members of the city's African American community, Kirk was successful in his bid and became the first African American mayor of Dallas, Texas while winning 62 percent of the total vote.

During his tenure as mayor, Kirk earned the reputation of being a coalition-builder, managing to keep the always-tumultuous Dallas City Council and Dallas School Board together. Under his leadership, he proposed the "Dallas Plan," a vision for the next 25 years, which included the controversial Trinity River Project, a $246 million plan that called for constructing a network of parks and highways in the flood plain of the Trinity River. He also pushed the construction of the American Airlines Center, whose opening he oversaw in 2002.

In 1999, Kirk was re-elected as mayor of Dallas in a landslide with 74 percent of the vote.

In 2001, Kirk resigned as mayor of Dallas in order to run for the Senate seat vacated by retiring Republican Phil Gramm. Facing then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn and Libertarian Scott Jameson; Kirk lost with 43 percent of the vote to Cornyn's 55 percent.

[edit] Post-mayoral career

Following his failed bid for Senate, Kirk returned to the law firm of Gardere Wynne Sewell in Dallas, and was briefly a candidate for chairman of the Democratic National Committee after the 2004 election, and was a partner with the Houston-based law firm Vinson and Elkins, where, according to Texans for Public Justice, he was, as of March 2007, one of the four highest paid lobbyists for Energy Future Holdings Corporation, the group created by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, TPG Capital and Goldman Sachs to acquire TXU.^[3]

During the Democratic National Convention, Kirk came out in favor of establishing the U.S. Public Service Academy as a civilian counterpart to the military service academies.^[4]

[edit] Trade Representative nomination

Although there was speculation that Kirk would be appointed Secretary of Transportation by President Barack Obama, he was given the position of Trade Representative.^[5] As a supporter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), his selection has drawn criticism from advocates of protectionist trade policies.^[6] His nomination ran into further controversy when it was revealed that he owed $9,975 in back taxes.^[7] As compensation for speeches he gave from 2004 to the present, he had $37,750 of payments made directly to a scholarship fund at Austin College.^[8] Kirk should have included the $37,750 payments with his gross income and then claimed a charitable deduction for the same amount.^[8] Kirk also claimed deductions for three years of season tickets to the Dallas Mavericks as qualifying entertainment expenses.^[8] In order to claim a qualifying entertainment expense, the Internal Revenue Service requires written documentation of the time, place, business purpose, name, and business relationship of the person being entertained, records that Kirk did not keep for almost half of the basketball games.^[8] Kirk's deductions for tax and accounting fees were also too large.^[8]

The U.S. Senate confirmed Kirk as United States Trade Representative on March 18, 2009 with a vote of 92 in favor and five opposed and he was sworn in the same day.^[1] Kirk was formally sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden on March 20, 2009.^[1] Kirk is the first person of African American descent to hold the position of United States Trade Representative.^[9]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• "Ron Kirk Biography". Office of the United States Trade Representative. http://www.ustr.gov/Who_We_Are/Bios/Ambassador_Ron_Kirk.html. 

Political offices
Preceded by John Hannah	Secretary of State of Texas 1994 – 1995	Succeeded by Antonio Garza
Preceded by Steve Bartlett	Mayor of Dallas 1995 – 2002	Succeeded by Laura Miller
Government offices
Preceded by Susan Schwab	United States Trade Representative 2009 – Present	Succeeded by Incumbent

v • d • e United States Trade Representative Christian Herter (1962) · William M. Roth (1967) · Carl J. Gilbert (1969) · William D. Eberle (1971) · Frederick B. Dent (1975) · Robert S. Strauss (1977) · Reubin O'Donovan Askew (1979) · William E. Brock III (1981) · Clayton K. Yeutter (1985) · Carla A. Hills (1989) · Mickey Kantor (1993) · Charlene Barshefsky (1997) · Robert Zoellick (2001) · Rob Portman (2005) · Susan Schwab (2006) · Ron Kirk (2009)

v • d • e Current members of the United States Cabinet Bidenc · Chu · Clinton · Donovan · Duncan · Emanuelc · Gates · Geithner · Holder · Jacksonc · Kirkc · LaHood · Locke · Napolitano · Obamac · Orszagc · Ricec · Romerc · Salazar · Sebelius · Solis · Shinseki · Vilsack c - cabinet-level

v • d • e Obama Administration personnel v • d • e Cabinet and cabinet-level Office Name Term Office Name Term Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 2009– Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner 2009– Secretary of Defense Robert Gates† 2009– Attorney General Eric Holder 2009– Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar 2009– Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack 2009– Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke 2009– Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis 2009– Secretary of Health and   Human Services Kathleen Sebelius 2009– Secretary of Education Secretary of Transportation Arne Duncan Ray LaHood 2009– 2009– Secretary of Housing and Urban   Development Shaun Donovan 2009– Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki 2009– Secretary of Energy Steven Chu 2009– Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano 2009– Vice President Joe Biden 2009– White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel 2009– Director of the Office of Management and   Budget Peter Orszag 2009– Administrator of the Environmental   Protection Agency Lisa Jackson 2009– Ambassador to the United Nations Trade Representative Susan Rice Ron Kirk 2009– 2009– Chair of the Council of Economic   Advisers Christina Romer 2009– †Remained from previous administration. Below solid line: Granted Cabinet rank although not automatically part of the Cabinet. See also: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet v • d • e Executive Office of the President Office Name Term Office Name Term White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel 2009– National Security Advisor Jim Jones 2009– White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Mona Sutphen 2009– Deputy National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon 2009– White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Jim Messina 2009– Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan Douglas Lute† 2009– Senior Advisor to the President David Axelrod 2009– Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes 2009– Senior Advisor to the President Peter Rouse 2009– Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security John O. Brennan 2009– Senior Advisor to the President and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement Valerie Jarrett 2009– Deputy National Security Advisor and NSC Chief of Staff White House Communications Director Denis McDonough Anita Dunn 2009- 2009- Director of Public Engagement Christina Tchen 2009– Deputy White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer 2009– Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Muñoz 2009– White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs 2009– Director, National Economic Council Lawrence Summers 2009– Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton 2009– Deputy Director, National Economic Council Diana Farrell 2009– Deputy Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki 2009– Deputy Director, National Economic Council Jason Furman 2009– Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest 2009– Chair of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board Paul Volcker 2009– Director of Speechwriting Jon Favreau 2009– Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors Christina Romer 2009– White House Counsel Robert Bauer 2009– Member of the Council of Economic Advisors and Staff Director of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board Austan Goolsbee 2009– Deputy White House Counsel Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Phil Schiliro 2009– Member of the Council of Economic Advisors Cecilia Rouse 2009– Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Lisa Konwinski 2009– Director, Office of Management and Budget Peter R. Orszag 2009– Executive Clerk George T. Saunders† 2009– Chief Performance Officer and Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget Jeffrey Zients 2009– Director, Office of Political Affairs Chief Technology Officer Patrick Gaspard Aneesh Chopra 2009– 2009– Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget Rob Nabors 2009– Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra 2009– United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk 2009– Director, Office of Presidential Personnel Don Gips 2009– Director, Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes 2009– Director of Scheduling and Advance Alyssa Mastromonaco 2009– Deputy Director, Domestic Policy Council Heather Higginbottom 2009– Director, White House Military Office vacant 2009– Director, Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois 2009– Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu 2009– Director, Office of Health Reform Nancy DeParle 2009– Deputy Cabinet Secretary Liz Sears Smith 2009– Deputy Director, Office of Health Reform Jeanne Lambrew 2009– Staff Secretary Lisa Brown 2009– Director, Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy Carol Browner 2009– Director, Office of Management and Administration Bradley Kiley 2009– Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Heather Zichal 2009– Director, Oval Office Operations Micaela Fernandez 2009– Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers Edward B. Montgomery 2009– Personal Aide to the President Reggie Love 2009– Director, Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley 2009– Personal Secretary to the President Katie Johnson 2009– Director, Office of National AIDS Policy Jeffrey Crowley 2009– Special Projects Coordinator and Confidential Assistant to the President Eugene Kang 2009– Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske 2009– Chief of Staff to the First Lady Susan Sher 2009– Deputy Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy A. Thomas McLellan* 2009– White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers 2009– Director, Office of Urban Affairs Policy Adolfo Carrión, Jr. 2009– Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy John Holdren 2009– *Senate-confirmation pending.   †Remained from previous administration(s). v • d • e Office of the Vice President Position Appointee Position Appointee Chief of Staff to the Vice President Ron Klain Chief of Staff to the Second Lady Catherine Russell Counsel to the Vice President Cynthia Hogan Director of Administration for the Office of the Vice President Moe Vela Counselor to the Vice President Mike Donilon Domestic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Terrell McSweeny Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison Evan Ryan Chief Economist and Economic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Jared Bernstein Assistant to the Vice President and Director of Communications Jay Carney Press Secretary to the Vice President Elizabeth Alexander Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President Alan Hoffman Deputy Press Secretary to the Vice President Annie Tomasini Deputy National Security Adviser to the Vice President Brian McKeon Director of Legislative Affairs Sudafi Henry Residence Manager and Social Secretary for the Vice President and Second Lady Carlos Elizondo Director of Communications for the Second Lady Courtney O’Donnell