American lawyer, diplomat and politician (1925?2011)
Warren Christopher
|
---|
Official portrait,
c.
1993
|
|
|
In office
January 20, 1993 ? January 17, 1997
|
President
| Bill Clinton
|
---|
Deputy
| Clifton R. Wharton Jr.
Strobe Talbott
|
---|
Preceded by
| Lawrence Eagleburger
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Madeleine Albright
|
---|
|
In office
February 26, 1977 ? January 20, 1981
|
President
| Jimmy Carter
|
---|
Preceded by
| Charles W. Robinson
|
---|
Succeeded by
| William P. Clark Jr.
|
---|
|
In office
March 10, 1967 ? January 20, 1969
|
President
| Lyndon B. Johnson
|
---|
Preceded by
| Ramsey Clark
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Richard G. Kleindienst
|
---|
|
|
Born
| Warren Minor Christopher
(
1925-10-27
)
October 27, 1925
Scranton, North Dakota
, U.S.
|
---|
Died
| March 18, 2011
(2011-03-18)
(aged 85)
Los Angeles
,
California
, U.S.
|
---|
Resting place
| Forest Lawn Memorial Park
|
---|
Political party
| Democratic
|
---|
Spouses
|
Joan Southgate Workman
(
m.
;
div.
1955)
Marie Wyllis
(
m.
1956)
|
---|
Children
| 4
|
---|
Education
| University of Redlands
University of Southern California
(
BA
)
Stanford University
(
LLB
)
|
---|
Signature
| |
---|
|
Allegiance
|
United States
|
---|
Branch/service
|
United States Navy
|
---|
Years of service
| 1942?1946
|
---|
Rank
| Ensign
|
---|
Battles/wars
| World War II
|
---|
|
Warren Minor Christopher
(October 27, 1925 – March 18, 2011) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician. During
Bill Clinton
's
first term
as president, he served as the 63rd
United States Secretary of State
.
Born in
Scranton, North Dakota
, Christopher clerked for
Supreme Court
Justice
William O. Douglas
after graduating from
Stanford Law School
. He became a partner in the firm of
O'Melveny & Myers
and served as
Deputy Attorney General
from 1967 to 1969 under President
Lyndon B. Johnson
. He served as
Deputy Secretary of State
under President
Jimmy Carter
, holding that position from 1977 to 1981. In 1991, he chaired the
Christopher Commission
, which investigated the
Los Angeles Police Department
in the wake of the
Rodney King
incident.
During the
1992 presidential election
, Christopher headed Bill Clinton's
search for a running mate
, and Clinton chose Senator
Al Gore
. After Clinton won the 1992 election, Christopher led
the Clinton administration's transition process
, and he took office as Secretary of State in 1993. As Secretary of State, Christopher sought to expand
NATO
, broker peace in the
Israeli?Palestinian conflict
, and pressure
China
regarding its
human rights
practices. He also helped negotiate the
Dayton Agreement
, which ended the
Bosnian War
. He left office in 1997, and was succeeded by
Madeleine Albright
.
Christopher oversaw the Gore campaign's
Florida recount
effort in the aftermath of the disputed
2000 presidential election
. At the time of his death in 2011, he was a senior partner at O'Melveny & Myers in the firm's
Century City, California
, office. He also served as a professor at the
University of California at Los Angeles
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Warren Minor Christopher was born in
Scranton, North Dakota
, the son of Catherine Anne (nee Lemen) and Ernest William Christopher, a bank manager.
[1]
He was of part Norwegian descent.
[2]
Christopher graduated from
Hollywood High School
in Los Angeles, and attended the
University of Redlands
, before transferring to the
University of Southern California
(USC). He was a member of the college fraternity
Kappa Sigma Sigma
. He graduated
magna cum laude
from USC in February 1945. From July 1943 to September 1946, he served in the
United States Naval Reserve
, with active duty as an ensign in the Pacific Theater. He entered
Stanford Law School
in September 1946, where he founded and became the first editor of the new
Stanford Law Review.
[3]
While there, he was also elected to the
Order of the Coif
.
Legal career and Deputy Attorney General for Johnson
[
edit
]
Christopher became the first graduate of Stanford Law School to become a
U.S. Supreme Court
law clerk
when he clerked for Justice
William O. Douglas
from October 1949 to September 1950.
[4]
He practiced law with the firm of O'Melveny & Myers from October 1950 to June 1967, becoming a partner in 1958 and serving as special counsel to Governor
Pat Brown
.
[5]
Christopher served as
United States Deputy Attorney General
from June 1967 until January 20, 1969, after which he rejoined
O'Melveny & Myers
. President
Lyndon B. Johnson
selected him to assist federal efforts to combat the urban riots in
Detroit
during July 1967 and in
Chicago
during April 1968. In 1974, Christopher served as the president of the
Los Angeles County Bar Association
. Attorney General
Elliot Richardson
considered appointing Christopher as the
special counsel
to investigate the
Watergate scandal
, but he declined.
[6]
Deputy Secretary of State for Carter
[
edit
]
Christopher was sworn in on February 26, 1977, as the
Deputy Secretary of State
and served in that position until January 20, 1981. As Deputy Secretary, he was involved in the successful
Iran hostage crisis negotiations
, and the resulting
Algiers Accords
securing the safe release of
52 American hostages
in
Iran
. He also spearheaded the
Sino-American relations
with the
People's Republic of China
, helped to win ratification of the
Panama Canal
treaties, and headed the first interagency group on
human rights
. President
Jimmy Carter
awarded him the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
, the nation's highest civilian award, on January 16, 1981.
[7]
Professional work and achievements
[
edit
]
Christopher's professional activities included service as president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, 1974?1975; chairman of the Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary of the
American Bar Association
, 1975?1976; member of the board of governors of the
State Bar of California
1975?1976; and special counsel to California governor
Edmund G. Brown
in 1959.
Christopher's civic activities included the following: member and president of the board of trustees of
Stanford University
; chairman,
Carnegie Corporation
of New York board of trustees; director and vice chairman,
Council on Foreign Relations
; director,
Trilateral Commission
,
Bilderberg Group
,
Los Angeles World Affairs Council
; vice chairman of the Governor's Commission on the
Watts riots
(The McCone Commission) in 1965?1966; president, Coordinating Council for Higher Education in the State of California; Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
;
[8]
member of the
American Philosophical Society
;
[9]
and chairman emeritus,
Pacific Council on International Policy
.
In 1981, Christopher received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by
Jefferson Awards
.
[10]
In 1991, Christopher served as chairman of the Independent Commission on the
Los Angeles Police Department
, which came to be known as the
Christopher Commission
. The Commission proposed significant reforms of the
Los Angeles Police Department
in the aftermath of the
Rodney King
incident (see
1992 Los Angeles riots
), which were approved overwhelmingly at the ballot box. In 1992, Christopher headed the
vice presidential search
for
Governor Bill Clinton's presidential campaign
and served as the Director of
his presidential Transition
.
[7]
Secretary of State for Clinton
[
edit
]
Serving as Secretary of State from January 20, 1993 until January 17, 1997, Christopher's main goals were the
enlargement of NATO
, establishing peace between Israel and its neighbors, and using economic pressure to force China's hand on
human rights practices
. The major events transpiring during his tenure included the
Oslo Accords
, the
Dayton Agreement
, normalization of
United States?Vietnam relations
, the
Rwandan genocide
,
Operation Uphold Democracy
in
Haiti
, and the
Khobar Towers bombing
.
Assassination attempt on George H. W. Bush, April 1993
[
edit
]
On April 13, 1993, eleven
Iraqi Intelligence Service
agents smuggled a car bomb into
Kuwait City
in an attempt to assassinate former President
George H. W. Bush
as he spoke at
Kuwait University
.
[11]
Secretary Christopher, among others, urged President Clinton to make a retaliatory strike against Iraq.
[12]
On June 26, 1993, the United States
launched 23 Tomahawk missiles
against the Baghdad intelligence headquarters.
[13]
Oslo Accords, September 1993
[
edit
]
In August 1993, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators meeting in
Norway
drew up the
Oslo Accords
, which created the
Palestinian Authority
in exchange for Palestinian recognition of
Israel's right to exist
. Secretary Christopher accepted Israeli Foreign Minister
Shimon Peres
's offer to host the signing ceremony. The ceremony took place in Washington D.C. on 13 September 1993, with
Mahmoud Abbas
signing for the
Palestine Liberation Organization
, Peres signing for the
State of Israel
, Secretary Christopher signing for the United States and
Andrei Kozyrev
signing for Russia, in the presence of President Clinton.
[14]
Christopher was one of the main
visionaries
and proponent of an
integrated Middle East
.
[15]
Partnership for Peace NATO expansion, January 1994
[
edit
]
In order to initiate further
enlargement of NATO
with minimal backlash from Russia, Secretary Christopher promoted the
Partnership for Peace
program as a stepping-stone into full NATO membership. This was against protests from the Pentagon.
Rwandan Genocide, 1994
[
edit
]
In what has been considered a terrible failure of the international community, the US and UN failed to intervene to stop the
Rwandan genocide
in 1994. Over the course of a hundred days, some 800,000 Tutsis were massacred by Hutu militia.
[16]
[17]
China: Delinking human rights and trade status, May 1994
[
edit
]
During the
1992 presidential campaign
, then-candidate Clinton blasted President George H. W. Bush for giving
China
low-tariff trading privileges despite its human rights abuses. Secretary Christopher agreed with this view and believed that the US should use economic pressure to force China to improve its human rights record. However, on May 26, 1994, President Clinton renewed China's low-tariff trading privileges, effectively delinking the human rights issue from China's trade relations with the US.
U.S.-Sino relations
improved as a result, with President
Jiang Zemin
visiting the U.S. in November 1997 and President Clinton visiting China in June 1998.
[18]
Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti, September 1994
[
edit
]
On September 19, 1994, a US-led coalition returned
Haiti
's popularly elected President
Jean-Bertrande Aristide
to power after a
1991 coup
by the
Haitian Armed Forces
under
Raoul Cedras
had unseated him. The US military effort, known as
Operation Uphold Democracy
, was largely the product of
Colin Powell
's diplomatic efforts, with little role played by Christopher.
[19]
Israel-Jordan peace treaty, October 1994
[
edit
]
In the wake of the 1993 Oslo Accords, Secretary Christopher encouraged Jordan's
King Hussein
to make a peace treaty with Israel. Christopher eventually offered Hussein $200 million in military equipment and $700 million in debt forgiveness to sweeten the deal. On October 27, 1994, Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzchak Rabin
and Jordanian Prime Minister
Abdelsalam al-Majali
signed the
Israel?Jordan peace treaty
. The signing was witnessed by President Clinton and Secretary Christopher. Christopher sought to obtain a similar treaty between Rabin and Syrian President
Hafez al-Assad
, but to no avail.
[20]
Vietnam: Normalizing relations, July 1995
[
edit
]
Working with Senator
John McCain
, in 1994, Secretary Christopher began actively promoting the normalization of
United States?Vietnam relations
. At the time, the U.S. had not had an embassy in Vietnam since 1975. The main obstacle to normalization came from
Vietnam veterans
and
POW
/
MIA
support groups who were convinced that Hanoi was not fully cooperating in the search for the remains of US soldiers in Vietnam. However, after Secretary Christopher convinced President Clinton that the
Vietnamese government
was fully cooperating in these searches, the President announced the formal normalization of diplomatic relations with Vietnam on July 11, 1995.
[21]
Dayton Agreement, November 1995
[
edit
]
In
Dayton, Ohio
, Secretary Christopher?working with Assistant Secretary
Richard Holbrooke
?negotiated peace talks between President of
Serbia
Slobodan Milo?evi?
, President of
Croatia
Franjo Tuđman
, and President of
Bosnia
Alija Izetbegovi?
. The result was the November 1995
Dayton Agreement
, which put an end to the
Bosnian War
.
[22]
Khobar Towers bombing, June 1996
[
edit
]
In the wake of the
Khobar Towers bombing
, Secretary Christopher traveled to
Saudi Arabia
to witness the site of the attack. In
Dhahran
(the home of the Khobar Towers), Foreign Minister Prince
Saud al-Faisal
allegedly promised Christopher that the
FBI
would have the full cooperation of the Saudi government. Eventually, however, the Saudi government and the FBI repeatedly conflicted during the course of the investigation resulting in many arguments and fights, especially over the role of female FBI agents.
[23]
Retirement
[
edit
]
In addition to several honorary degrees, Christopher received the following awards: the Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service for the Greatest Public Service Performed by an Elected or Appointed Official; the
UCLA
Medal; the Harold Weill Medal from
New York University
; the
James A. Garfield
Baller Award; the Thomas Jefferson Award in Law from the
University of Virginia Law School
; and the Louis Stein Award from
Fordham Law School
.
Christopher's picture hangs in the
War Remnants Museum
in
Ho Chi Minh City
, near pictures of
John Kerry
,
Robert McNamara
,
Elmo Zumwalt
, and other American dignitaries, in commemoration of his visit to
Vietnam
, after normalization of relations between the two countries.
[24]
At the 1999 unveiling of his portrait at the Department of State, attended by President Clinton, Christopher remarked: "To anyone who has served in Washington, there is something oddly familiar about [having your portrait painted]. First, you're painted into a corner, then you're hung out to dry and, finally, you're framed."
[
citation needed
]
He was sent to supervise the contested
Florida recount
for
Al Gore
's
campaign
in the
2000 United States presidential election
. In the 2008 film
Recount
, which covers the days following the controversial election, Christopher was portrayed by British actor
John Hurt
. He was a member of the
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
(WINEP) Board of Advisors.
[
citation needed
]
He was an Advisory Board member for the
Partnership for a Secure America
, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy.
[
citation needed
]
Former Secretaries of State
James Baker
and Christopher served as Co-Chairs of the Miller Center's National War Powers Commission. Baker and Christopher testified on March 5 before the
House Foreign Affairs Committee
about the War Powers Consultation Act of 2009 ? the statute that the Commission unanimously recommended in its July 2008 report. The statute is designed to replace the
War Powers Resolution
of 1973 and provide for more meaningful consultation between the
President
and
Congress
on matters of war.
[
citation needed
]
From 2003 until his death, Christopher taught a small seminar course on international affairs as part of the Honors Program at
UCLA
.
[25]
Family
[
edit
]
Warren Christopher married twice. He married Joan Southgate Workman
on June 14, 1949, in
San Diego, California
; the couple had a daughter, Lynn (born May 30, 1952). They divorced in 1955.
[26]
[27]
He was married to Marie Wyllis from 1956 until his death; the couple had two sons: Scott (born December 27, 1957
[28]
) and Thomas (born July 24, 1959
[29]
), and a daughter, Kristen (born March 26, 1963
[30]
).
Christopher had five grandchildren: Andrew, Lauren, Warren, and Chloe Christopher, and Christopher Henderson.
[4]
He wrote
In the Stream of History: Shaping Foreign Policy for a New Era
(1998) and
Chances of a Lifetime
(2001).
[4]
Other
[
edit
]
Christopher was a recipient of the state of
North Dakota
's
Roughrider Award
.
[31]
He was a senior partner at
O'Melveny & Myers
.
[5]
World Justice Project
[
edit
]
Christopher served as an Honorary Co-Chair for the
World Justice Project
.
[32]
The
World Justice Project
works to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the
Rule of Law
for the development of communities of opportunity and equity.
[33]
Death
[
edit
]
Christopher died at his home in Los Angeles on March 18, 2011, from kidney and bladder cancer. He was 85 years old.
[5]
[34]
[35]
He was survived by his wife and four children from two marriages.
[5]
[35]
[36]
He is interred at the
Forest Lawn Memorial Park
in the
Hollywood Hills
.
President Obama described Christopher as a "resolute pursuer of peace" for his work in the Middle East and the Balkans.
[37]
Hillary Clinton described Christopher as a "diplomat's diplomat ? talented, dedicated and exceptionally wise".
[38]
He was described as "the best public servant I ever knew" by President
Jimmy Carter
in his memoirs.
[35]
On March 19, 2011, Carter stated that "[America] has lost a great and revered leader".
[39]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Warren Minor Christopher biography at
– via bookrags.com.
- ^
Cornwell, Rupert (March 22, 2011).
"Warren Christopher: Lawyer and diplomat who served as Secretary of State under President Clinton"
.
The Independent
. London, UK.
- ^
Warren Christopher,
Chances of a Lifetime.
(2001) pp 9-19.
- ^
a
b
c
Woo, Elaine (March 19, 2011).
"Warren Christopher dies at 85; former secretary of State's quiet diplomacy was prized from Washington to L.A."
Los Angeles Times
. Archived from
the original
on January 13, 2013.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Robert D. Hershey Jr. (March 19, 2011).
"Warren Christopher, Ex-Secretary of State, Dies at 85"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
Graff, Garrett M. (2022).
Watergate: A New History
(1 ed.). New York: Avid Reader Press. p. 394.
ISBN
978-1-9821-3916-2
.
OCLC
1260107112
.
- ^
a
b
Steinberg, Mark.
"A Goodbye to Warren Christopher"
.
The Huffington Post
. Retrieved
18 April
2017
.
- ^
"Warren Christopher"
.
American Academy of Arts & Sciences
. Retrieved
2021-12-09
.
- ^
"APS Member History"
.
search.amphilsoc.org
. Retrieved
2021-12-09
.
- ^
"National - Jefferson Awards Foundation"
. Archived from
the original
on 2010-11-24
. Retrieved
2013-08-05
.
- ^
"The Bush assassination"
.
Department of Justice
/
FBI Laboratory
report
. Retrieved
2007-05-06
.
- ^
Christopher,
Chances of a Lifetime.
(2001). Page 234.
- ^
"Cruise Missile Strike - June 26, 1993. Operation Southern Watch"
. GlobalSecurity.org
. Retrieved
2007-05-06
.
- ^
Christopher, Warren.
Chances of a Lifetime.
(New York: Scribner Press, 2001) p. 200.
- ^
"Archived copy"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2012-03-11
. Retrieved
2012-06-12
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link
)
- ^
Manry,
Bill Clinton
pp 127-29.
- ^
"A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide
(2002) by
Samantha Power
, pp 329-90.
online
- ^
Christopher,
Chances of a Lifetime.
p. 242.
- ^
Christopher,
Chances of a Lifetime.
(2001) p. 192.
- ^
Christopher,
Chances of a Lifetime.
(2001) p. 214.
- ^
Christopher,
Chances of a Lifetime.
(2001) p. 293.
- ^
Christopher,
Chances of a Lifetime.
(2001) p. 251
- ^
Christopher,
Chances of a Lifetime.
(2001) p. 225.
- ^
[1]
Archived
May 16, 2006, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Warren Christopher profile at"
.
International Hot Spots/UCLA Spotlight
. March 1, 2003
. Retrieved
2009-03-18
.
- ^
"Lynn Southgate Christopher (date of birth: 05/30/1952)"
.
CaliforniaBirthIndex.org
. Retrieved
April 14,
2016
.
- ^
Scheer, Robert (February 21, 1993).
"Clinton's Globe-trotter: Secretary of State Warren Christopher Knows the Power of Being an Insider With a Social Conscience. And He's Carrying it Into the Global Arena"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
February 6,
2018
.
- ^
"Scott W. Christopher (date of birth: 12/27/1967)"
.
CaliforniaBirthIndex.org
. Retrieved
April 14,
2016
.
- ^
"Thomas W Christopher (date of birth: 07/24/1967)"
.
CaliforniaBirthIndex.org
. Retrieved
April 14,
2016
.
- ^
"Kristen I. Christopher (date of birth: 03/26/1963)"
.
CaliforniaBirthIndex.org
. Retrieved
April 27,
2016
.
- ^
Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award
—
North Dakota
Office of the Governor
- ^
"Honorary Chairs"
. World Justice Project. Archived from
the original
on 2009-01-05
. Retrieved
2010-02-24
.
- ^
"About the"
. World Justice Project. Archived from
the original
on 2010-02-03
. Retrieved
2010-02-24
.
- ^
Tripp, Leslie (2011-03-19).
"Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher dies"
.
CNN
. Retrieved
2011-03-19
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Former US Secretary of State Warren Christopher dies"
. BBC. March 19, 2011
. Retrieved
March 19,
2011
.
- ^
"Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher dies at 85"
.
msnbc.com
. March 19, 2011. Archived from
the original
on March 21, 2011
. Retrieved
March 19,
2011
.
- ^
"Obama on Christopher: 'Resolute pursuer of peace'
"
.
USA Today
. March 19, 2011
. Retrieved
March 19,
2011
.
- ^
Hillary Clinton (March 19, 2011).
"Passing of Warren Christopher"
. State Department. Archived from
the original
on March 21, 2011
. Retrieved
March 19,
2011
.
- ^
Megan Matteucci (March 19, 2011).
"Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher dies at 85"
.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
. Archived from
the original
on March 22, 2011
. Retrieved
March 19,
2011
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Cameron, Fraser.
US foreign policy after the cold war: global hegemon or reluctant sheriff?
(Routledge, 2006).
- Chollet, Derek.
The Road to the Dayton Accords
(Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2005).
excerpt
- Dumbrell, John. "President Clinton's Secretaries of State: Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright".
Journal of transatlantic studies
6.3 (2008): 217?227.
- Girard, Philippe.
Clinton in Haiti: the 1994 US invasion of Haiti.
(Springer, 2004).
- Hamilton, Nigel.
Bill Clinton: Mastering the Presidency
(Public Affairs, 2007), with numerous chapters on foreign-policy;
excerpt
- Hyland, William G.
Clinton's World: Remaking American Foreign Policy
(1999)
excerpt
; also
online
Archived
2020-05-19 at the
Wayback Machine
- Larres, Klaus. "'Bloody as Hell' Bush, Clinton and the Abdication of American Leadership in the Former Yugoslavia, 1990?1995".
Journal Of European Integration History
10 (2004): 179?202. [
https://www.cvce.eu/content/publication/2013/6/17/454ffc3e-05f7-4357-a721-c695b0ac9157/publishable_en.pdf
online pp 179?202.
- Levy, Peter B.
Encyclopedia of the Clinton presidency
(Greenwood, 2002)
- Maney, Patrick J.
Bill Clinton: New Gilded Age President
(2016). Scholarly survey; Christopher's foreign policy on pages 116?40.
- Murray, Leonie.
Clinton, peacekeeping and humanitarian interventionism: rise and fall of a policy
(Routledge, 2007).
- Power, Samantha.
"A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide
(2002) covers Bosnia, Kosovo, Srebenica, and Rwanda; Pulitzer Prize.
online free to borrow
Primary sources
[
edit
]
- Christopher, Warren.
Chances of a Lifetime: A Memoir
(2001)
online
- Christopher, Warren.
In the Stream of History: Shaping Foreign Policy for a New Era
(1998) 37 episodes as Secretary of State, with commentary and speeches
online
- Nelson, Michael, et al. eds.
42: Inside the Presidency of Bill Clinton
(Miller Center of Public Affairs Books, 2016)
excerpt
pp 193?233, analysis of interviews with insiders on Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, and the Middle East.
External links
[
edit
]
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