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J. Michael Dorsey

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J. Michael Dorsey
Acting United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
In office
January 20, 1989 – February 13, 1989
PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush
Preceded bySamuel Pierce
Succeeded byJack Kemp
General Counsel of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
In office
March 12, 1987 – February 13, 1989
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byJohn J. Knapp
Succeeded byFrank Keating
Assistant Secretary of Public and Indian Housing
In office
August 2, 1986 – July 13, 1990
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byWarren T. Lindquist
Succeeded byJoseph G. Schiff
Personal details
Born (1943-02-06) February 6, 1943 (age 81)
Kansas City, Missouri
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceBoulder, Colorado
Alma materStanford University
University of Missouri

J. Michael Dorsey (born February 6, 1943) is a retired American attorney and administrator. He served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from 1987–1989, Administrative Counsel of the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives (CAO) from 1995–2003, and Chief of Administrative Services of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from 2003–2004. He was briefly Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1989 during the transition from the Reagan to the Bush administrations.

Early life and education

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Dorsey was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 6, 1943. He graduated from Stanford University with a BA in 1965, and from the University of Missouri with a JD in 1968 and an LLM in 1973.[1]

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Dorsey worked as the Legal Aid and Defender Society of Greater Kansas City as an assistant director, managing attorney, and staff attorney, from 1969 to 1973. In 1973, he began working for a year as Assistant Attorney General of Missouri, under John Danforth. In 1974, he became a partner at the law firm of Stinson, Mag & Fizzell in Kansas City, Missouri.[2]

In May 1986, Dorsey was nominated by Ronald Reagan to serve as Assistant Secretary of Public and Indian Housing at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in place of Warren T. Lindquist who had resigned.[2] Dorsey was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by voice vote on August 2, 1986.[3] During his time as Assistant Secretary, he described housing vouchers as "the centerpiece of the Reagan housing program" to the Chicago Tribune.[4]

In January 1987, Dorsey was nominated as General Counsel of HUD, to succeed John J. Knapp. He was confirmed in the Senate by voice vote on March 12, 1987.[1][5] As General Counsel, Dorsey formed part of the selection committee for public money for housing, alongside Thomas Demery and Carl Covitz. The committee was the subject of controversy when a federal audit released in 1989 said that most of the money approved by it went to developers with HUD connections. It said that Dorsey and Covitz typically agreed to suggestions that Demery made.[6] He briefly served as Acting Secretary of HUD in 1989, before Jack Kemp became Secretary.[7] On July 13, 1989, Frank Keating was confirmed as General Counsel, succeeding Dorsey.[8][9] On July 13, 1990, Joseph G. Schiff was confirmed as Assistant Secretary in place of Dorsey.[10]

Dorsey became Administrative Counsel of the newly-formed Office of the Chief Administrative Officer of the United States House of Representatives when it was formed in 1995. His tenure lasted from January 1, 1995 to February 14, 2003.[11] During some of that time he served as Acting Associate Administrator.[12][13] Dorsey became Chief of Administrative Services of the newly-founded United States Department of Homeland Security on February 15, 2003, serving until June 11, 2004. In this role, he was subordinate to the Under Secretary for Management, Janet Hale.[14]

Personal life and retirement

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Dorsey is married and had two children.[2] He retired to the town of Boulder, Colorado.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Nomination of J. Michael Dorsey To Be General Counsel of the Department of Housing and Urban Development". The American Presidency Project. January 23, 1987. Archived from the original on 2018-09-12. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Nomination of J. Michael Dorsey To Be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development". The American Presidency Project. May 19, 1986. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  3. ^ "PN1106 — J. Michael Dorsey — Department of Housing and Urban Development". Congress.gov. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  4. ^ "U.S. Letting Lifeline To Public Housing Slip". Chicago Tribune. December 4, 1986. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  5. ^ "PN88 — J. Michael Dorsey — Department of Housing and Urban Development". Congress.gov. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  6. ^ "HUD Program Beneficiaries Revealed". The Washington Post. April 28, 1989. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  7. ^ "Who will be the next HUD Secretary?". Nixon Peabody. December 5, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  8. ^ Kelley, Ed (March 29, 1989). "President Nominates Keating for HUD General Counsel". The Oklahoman. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  9. ^ "PN329 — Francis Anthony Keating II — Department of Housing and Urban Development". Congress.gov. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  10. ^ "PN1191 — Joseph G. Schiff — Department of Housing and Urban Development". Congress.gov. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  11. ^ "RECOGNITION OF J. MICHAEL DORSEY". Congress.gov. February 6, 2003. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  12. ^ "COMMUNICATION FROM THE ACTING ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR, OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES, OFFICE OF CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER". Congress.gov. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  13. ^ "COMMUNICATION FROM ACTING ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR, OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES". Congress.gov. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  14. ^ "Senior Leadership, The First Five Years: 2003 – 2008" (PDF). Homeland Security. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  15. ^ Gold, Scott (September 24, 2005). "Pot unenforcement". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 11, 2018.