Joshua Bolten

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Joshua Brewster Bolten
Joshua Bolten

Incumbent
Assumed office 
April 14, 2006
President George W. Bush
Preceded by Andrew Card
Succeeded by Rahm Emanuel (designate)

Born August 16, 1954 (1954-08-16) (age 54)
Political party Republican
Religion Jewish[1][2][3]

Joshua Brewster Bolten (born August 16, 1954) is the current White House Chief of Staff serving U.S. President George W. Bush. Bolten replaced Andrew Card on April 14, 2006.

Contents

[edit] Early history

Bolten's father, Seymour, worked for the CIA and his mother, Analouise, taught world history at George Washington University.[4] He graduated from St. Albans School, and he is now on the school's board.

At Princeton University, he studied in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and served as class president and president of The Ivy Club.[5] He graduated in 1976. He graduated from Stanford Law School in 1980 and served as an editor of the law review.

[edit] Professional life

Formerly the Director on 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 House 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.[6]

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 is the second Jewish person appointed as White House Chief of Staff (Ken Duberstein, who held that post during the Reagan Administration, was the first).[2][1]

Bolten is sworn in as White House Chief of Staff by his Deputy Joe Hagin; his predecessor Andrew Card looks on.

Bolten was named as White House Chief of Staff to smooth relations with the United States Congress, and to reinvigorate the West Wing staff.[citation needed] 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.[7] 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.[8]

On June 13, 2007, the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to Bolten for documents related to the dismissal of U.S. attorneys[9]. The subpoena had a deadline of June 28.[10] 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.[11] On Feb. 14, 2008, the full 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.[12]

[edit] Personal life

Joshua Bolten plays bass guitar in a band called the Compassionates and enjoys riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle.[13]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/28/ap/politics/mainD8GKSLRG1.shtml
  2. ^ a b Berger, Matthew (31 March 2006). "New chief of staff has strong Jewish identity", Jewish News Weekly of Northern California. Retrieved on 14 March 2007. 
  3. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/28/AR2006082801451_pf.html
  4. ^ Birnbaum, Jeff (Summer 2004). "Yosh!", Stanford Lawyer. 
  5. ^ Cai, Angela (29 March 2006). "Bush names Bolten '76 chief of staff", Daily Princetonian Publishing Company, Inc.. Retrieved on 6 July 2008. 
  6. ^ Joshua Bolten, White House Chief of Staff
  7. ^ Gleckman, Howard (30 May 2006). "Paulson to the Rescue?", BusinessWeek. 
  8. ^ Baker, Peter (17 June 2006). "White House Personnel Changes Complete", Washington Post. 
  9. ^ Original Text of the Subpoena, U.S. House Judiciary Committee, http://judiciary.house.gov/Media/PDFS/BoltenSubpoena070613.pdf
  10. ^ Perine, Keith (2007-06-28). "Bush, Congress in Legal Limbo Over Privilege". Congressional Quarterly. Retrieved on 2007-07-26.
  11. ^ Stout, David (2007-07-25). "Panel Holds Two Bush Aides in Contempt". New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-07-26.
  12. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/washington/15contempt.html?hp
  13. ^ "White House's Bolten shows "Born to be Wild" side", Reuters (June 16, 2006). Retrieved on 25 December 2006. 

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Mitch Daniels
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Served Under: George W. Bush

2003-2006
Succeeded by
Rob Portman
Preceded by
Andrew Card
White House Chief of Staff
Served Under: George W. Bush

April 14, 2006
Succeeded by
Rahm Emanuel (Designate)
Order of precedence in the United States of America
Preceded by
Michael Chertoff
United States Secretary of Homeland Security
United States order of precedence
White House Chief of Staff
Succeeded by
Jim Nussle
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
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