Joshua B. Bolten
Encyclopedia
Joshua Brewster Bolten served as the White House Chief of Staff
to U.S. President
George W. Bush
. Bolten replaced Andrew Card
on April 14, 2006.
. He graduated from St. Albans School
, and served on the school's board until 2007.
Bolton attended Princeton University
, where he watched in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
and served as class president and president of The Ivy Club
. He graduated in 1976. He graduated with a J.D.
from Stanford Law School
in 1980 and served as an editor of the law review.
from 2001 to 2003. He previously served as policy director for the 2000 George W. Bush Presidential campaign
from 1999 to 2000 and as Executive Director for Legal and Government Affairs at Goldman Sachs
in London from 1994 to 1999.
He was general counsel to the Office of the United States Trade Representative for three years and Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs for one year during the administration of George H. W. Bush
. Bolten was the second Jewish person appointed as White House Chief of Staff (Ken Duberstein
, who held that post during the Reagan Administration
, was the first, and Rahm Emanuel, who held the post in the Obama administration, was the third).
Bolten was named as White House Chief of Staff to smooth relations with the United States Congress
, and to reinvigorate the West Wing
staff. He is credited with having assisted the President in recruiting Henry Paulson - the CEO of Goldman Sachs - to serve as Treasury Secretary
, based on his former employment at the firm. In addition, he recruited Tony Snow
to work as White House Press Secretary
, offered Rob Portman
the opportunity to succeed him as OMB Director, and brought his OMB deputy Joel Kaplan
in to the White House as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy.
On June 13, 2007, the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to Bolten for documents related to the dismissal of U.S. attorneys
. The subpoena had a deadline of June 28. On Wednesday, July 25, 2007, the House Judiciary Committee voted 22-17 to cite Bolten for contempt of Congress
for his failure to produce the documents in response to its subpoena. On February 14, 2008, the House of Representatives voted to cite him for contempt by a vote of 223-32. Many Republicans walked out of the chamber in protest, deriding the priorities of the speaker in calling the vote, as opposed to a vote on a surveillance bill.
Bolten became the John L. Weinberg/Goldman Sachs & Co. Visiting Professor at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School in September 2009, teaching classes on the federal budget and international trade and financial regulation. In March 2010, Bolten was appointed a member of the board and co-chair of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
, which has raised $36 million to date for immediate earthquake
relief and long-term recovery efforts in the Caribbean
country.
in a band called the Compassionates and enjoys riding his Harley Davidson Fatboy motorcycle.
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
to U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Bolten replaced Andrew Card
Andrew Card
Andrew Hill Card, Jr. is a Republican American politician, former United States Cabinet member, and head of President George W. Bush's White House Iraq Group. Card served as U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President George H. W. Bush and the White House Chief of Staff under George W. Bush...
on April 14, 2006.
Early history
Bolten's father, Seymour, worked for the CIA and his mother, Analouise, taught world history at George Washington UniversityGeorge Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
. He graduated from St. Albans School
St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)
St. Albans School is an independent college preparatory school for boys in grades 4–12, located in Washington, D.C. The school is named after Saint Alban, traditionally regarded as the first British martyr. Within the St...
, and served on the school's board until 2007.
Bolton attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, where he watched in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school has granted undergraduate A.B. degrees since 1930 and graduate degrees since 1948...
and served as class president and president of The Ivy Club
The Ivy Club
The Ivy Club is the oldest eating club at Princeton University. It was founded in 1879 with Arthur Hawley Scribner as its first head. The members of each class are selected through the bicker process, a series of ten screening interviews, which are followed by discussions amongst the members as...
. He graduated in 1976. He graduated with a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
in 1980 and served as an editor of the law review.
Professional life
Formerly the Director of Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Bolten was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to that position in 2003. Bolten was Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy at the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
from 2001 to 2003. He previously served as policy director for the 2000 George W. Bush Presidential campaign
George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2000
This article is about the 2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush, winner of the 2000 presidential election and re-elected in the 2004 election.See George W. Bush for a detailed biography and information about his presidency, and George W...
from 1999 to 2000 and as Executive Director for Legal and Government Affairs at Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
in London from 1994 to 1999.
He was general counsel to the Office of the United States Trade Representative for three years and Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs for one year during the administration of George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
. Bolten was the second Jewish person appointed as White House Chief of Staff (Ken Duberstein
Kenneth Duberstein
Kenneth M. Duberstein served as U.S. President Ronald Reagan's White House Chief of Staff from 1988 to 1989.A native of Brooklyn, New York, he graduated from Franklin and Marshall College and American University . He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Franklin and Marshall in 1989...
, who held that post during the Reagan Administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....
, was the first, and Rahm Emanuel, who held the post in the Obama administration, was the third).
Bolten was named as White House Chief of Staff to smooth relations with the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and to reinvigorate the West Wing
West Wing
The West Wing is the building housing the official offices of the President of the United States. It is the part of the White House Complex in which the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room, and the Roosevelt Room are located...
staff. He is credited with having assisted the President in recruiting Henry Paulson - the CEO of Goldman Sachs - to serve as Treasury Secretary
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
, based on his former employment at the firm. In addition, he recruited Tony Snow
Tony Snow
Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow was an American journalist, political commentator, television news anchor, syndicated columnist, radio host, musician, and the third White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and...
to work as White House Press Secretary
White House Press Secretary
The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....
, offered Rob Portman
Rob Portman
Robert Jones "Rob" Portman is the junior United States Senator from Ohio. He is a member of the Republican Party. He succeeded retiring Senator George Voinovich....
the opportunity to succeed him as OMB Director, and brought his OMB deputy Joel Kaplan
Joel Kaplan
Joel Kaplan was the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy for U.S. President George W. Bush. The other Deputy Chief was Blake Gottesman, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations...
in to the White House as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy.
On June 13, 2007, the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to Bolten for documents related to the dismissal of U.S. attorneys
Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy
The dismissal of U.S. Attorneys controversy was initiated by the unprecedented midterm dismissal of seven United States Attorneys on December 7, 2006 by the George W. Bush administration's Department of Justice. Congressional investigations focused on whether the Department of Justice and the White...
. The subpoena had a deadline of June 28. On Wednesday, July 25, 2007, the House Judiciary Committee voted 22-17 to cite Bolten for contempt of Congress
Contempt of Congress
Contempt of Congress is the act of obstructing the work of the United States Congress or one of its committees. Historically the bribery of a senator or representative was considered contempt of Congress...
for his failure to produce the documents in response to its subpoena. On February 14, 2008, the House of Representatives voted to cite him for contempt by a vote of 223-32. Many Republicans walked out of the chamber in protest, deriding the priorities of the speaker in calling the vote, as opposed to a vote on a surveillance bill.
Bolten became the John L. Weinberg/Goldman Sachs & Co. Visiting Professor at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School in September 2009, teaching classes on the federal budget and international trade and financial regulation. In March 2010, Bolten was appointed a member of the board and co-chair of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund is a 501 nonprofit organization founded on January 16, 2010, by former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, to aid the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake...
, which has raised $36 million to date for immediate earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
relief and long-term recovery efforts in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
country.
Personal life
Joshua Bolten plays pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
in a band called the Compassionates and enjoys riding his Harley Davidson Fatboy motorcycle.
External links
- Joshua Bolten's political donations at newsmeat.com
- Biography in Stanford Law School magazine
- Who2 profile of Bolten
- Friends discuss Bolten's college experience at dailyprincetonian.com.
- Yale Daily News: Bolten's Former Yale Colleagues Discuss the New Bush Tap by Andrew Mangino and Maggie Reid
- Federal Court Opinion (House of Representatives v Harriet Miers) ordering Joshua Bolten to produce documents