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Jerry Moran
United States Senator from Kansas
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011 Serving with Pat Roberts
Preceded by	Sam Brownback
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 1st district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Pat Roberts
Succeeded by	Tim Huelskamp
Personal details
Born	Gerald W. Moran[1] (1954-05-29) May 29, 1954 (age 58) Great Bend, Kansas
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Robba Moran
Residence	Hays, Kansas
Alma mater	University of Kansas (B.A., J.D.)
Occupation	attorney, bank executive, college professor
Religion	Methodist
Website	www.moran.senate.gov

Gerald W. "Jerry" Moran (born May 29, 1954) is the junior United States Senator from Kansas and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Kansas's 1st congressional district.

Raised in Plainville, Kansas, Moran graduated from the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas School of Law. He worked in private law and served as the state special assistant attorney general (1982–85) and deputy attorney of Rooks County (1987–95). He served in the Kansas Senate (1989–1997), and was majority leader for his last two years. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and served six terms with little electoral opposition. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in a landslide in 2010. He is the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government and has a strongly conservative voting record.

Early life, education and career[link]

Moran was born in Great Bend, Kansas, the son of Madeline Eleanor (née Fletcher) and Raymond Edwin "Ray" Moran.^[1] He was raised in Plainville.^[2] He attended Fort Hays State University before enrolling at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics in 1976.^[3] While attending the University of Kansas, he worked as a summer intern for U.S. Representative Keith Sebelius in 1974, when impeachment proceedings were being prepared against President Richard Nixon.

Moran worked as a banker before receiving his Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1982.^[4] He practiced law at Stinson, Mag & Fizzell in Kansas City, and later joined Jeter & Larson Law Firm in Hays, where he practiced law for fifteen years.^[4] In addition to his law practice, he served as the state special assistant attorney general (1982–85) and deputy attorney of Rooks County (1987–95).^[2] He also served as an adjunct professor of political science at Fort Hays State University.^[3]

Kansas Senate[link]

Moran served for eight years (1989–1997) in the Kansas Senate. He served two years as the Vice President and his last two years as majority leader.^[5]

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

Elections[link]

Moran was elected to Congress in 1996 and reelected five times, never facing serious opposition in the conservative 1st district. In 2006, his opponent for the 2006 midterm election was John Doll, against whom he received almost 79 percent of the vote—one of the highest totals for a Republican congressional incumbent in that election.^[6]

Tenure[link]

During his time in the House of Representatives, Jerry Moran conducted an annual town hall meeting in each of the 69 counties in Kansas' "Big First" Congressional District. He continues the tradition in the U.S. Senate for all 105 counties.^[7]

As a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, then-Congressman Moran worked with colleagues to craft legislation to aid Kansas farms and ranches. Moran was also an active member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, where he served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Health.^[8]

From 2003 through 2005, $14.7 billion in crop subsidies went to the congressional districts of members on the House Committee on Agriculture, an analysis by the non-partisan Environmental Working Group found. That was 42.4% of the total subsidies. Moran's district is reported to have received $1.32 billion.^[9]

U.S. Senate[link]

Elections[link]

Moran was the 2010 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Kansas. He defeated fellow Congressman Todd Tiahrt in the Senate primary, 50-45%.^[10] In the general election Moran faced Democrat Lisa Johnston, Libertarian Michael Dann, and Reform Party candidate Joe Bellis. Moran won with just over 70 percent of the vote.

Committee assignments[link]

• United States Senate Special Committee on Aging
• United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (Ranking member)
  • Subcommittee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
  • Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
  • Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment
• United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
  • Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight
  • Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia
• United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Political positions[link]

Agriculture[link]

Jerry Moran (far right) assisting with a dinner at Fort Riley

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran and U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), recently introduced legislation, S. 989, the Flint Hills Preservation Act, to protect the ability of landowners in the Flint Hills to use prescribed fire as a tool to preserve the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Moran also joined U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) in introducing the 3-D Act: The Domestic Jobs, Domestic Energy, and Deficit Reduction Act of 2011.

Health Care[link]

Moran opposed the Medicare reform package of 2003. He also opposed President Obama's health care reform bill in 2010. In May 2011, Moran sponsored S. 1058, the Pharmacy Competition and Consumer Choice Act of 2011, legislation intended to increase choice and cost savings for patients in Kansas and across the country. He believes reducing the costs of medical services, equipment, insurance, and prescription drugs are necessary to ensure adequate health care.^[11] In the House, he served as Co-Chairman of the House Rural Health Care Coalition and co-founder of the Congressional Community Pharmacy Coalition.^[12]

National Security and Military[link]

Senator Moran believes that a strong national defense is the federal government’s primary Constitutional responsibility. Kansas is home to Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, McConnell Air Force Base and the 35th Infantry Division.

In the early 2000s, Moran opposed a timetable for military withdrawal from Iraq.

Moran worked to bring the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) to Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Once constructed, NBAF will conduct animal disease research intended to secure America's food supply and protect citizens and animals from the threat of foreign animal disease.

Education[link]

Moran supports accountability metrics for public schools, but believes federal initiatives need to provide flexibility to states. In 2001, Moran voted against passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) because he felt it did not afford sufficient flexibility to schools.^[13]

Gun rights[link]

Moran generally supports the right to bear arms. The National Rifle Association rated his voting record “A” in its scorecard.

Environment[link]

Moran has opposed environmental protection, earning a lifetime score of 9% from the League of Conservation Voters.^[14] He also opposes "cap and trade" legislation intended to reduce climate change because of its potential to eliminate thousands of jobs.^[15]

Abortion[link]

Moran is pro-life. The Family Research Council rated his voting record 100% in its scorecard.

Gay rights[link]

Moran opposes same-sex marriage. The Human Rights Campaign rated his voting record as zero in its last five scorecards.^{[16][17][18][19][20]}

Personal life[link]

At home, Moran volunteers his time with several community organizations. He is a trustee of the Eisenhower Foundation, serves on the Board of Trustees of the Fort Hays State University Endowment Association, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Coronado Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He was also the 2008 Honorary Chair of the Law Enforcement Torch Run of the Kansas Special Olympics. Moran has two daughters, Kelsey and Alex. Kelsey graduated from Kansas State University in 2010 and Alex is currently a student.^[21]

References[link]

External links[link]

• U.S. Senator Jerry Moran official U.S. Senate site
• Jerry Moran for U.S. Senate official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs

v t e United States Senators from Kansas Class 2 Lane Ross Caldwell Crozier Harvey Plumb Perkins Martin Baker Burton Benson Curtis Thompson Capper Schoeppel Pearson Kassebaum Roberts Class 3 Pomeroy Ingalls Peffer Harris Long Bristow Curtis Allen McGill Reed Darby Carlson Dole Frahm Brownback Moran

Jamie Dimon
Jamie Dimon at the Financial Times CNBC Davos Nightcap, January 26, 2012
Born	James Dimon (1956-03-13) March 13, 1956 (age 56) New York, New York, U.S.
Residence	Upper East Side, Manhattan
Alma mater	Tufts University (B.A.) Harvard University (M.B.A.)
Occupation	Chairman, President and CEO of JPMorgan Chase
Board member of	Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Spouse	Judith Kent
Children	Julia, Laura, Kara Leigh

James "Jamie" Dimon (born March 13, 1956) is an American business executive. He is the current chairman, president, and chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase, one of the Big Four banks of the United States, and has served as a Class A director of the Board of Directors of the New York Federal Reserve since January 2007.^[1][2] Dimon was named to Time magazine's 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011 lists of the world's 100 most influential people. He was also named to Institutional Investor's Best CEOs list in the All-America Executive Team Survey from 2008 through 2011.^[3] He was named the CEO of the Year in 2011.^[4][5][6]

He received a $23 million pay package for fiscal year 2011, more than any other bank CEO in the United States.^[7]

Early life[link]

Dimon was born in New York City to Theodore and Themis Dimon. He is of Greek descent and attended Browning School.^[8] He has an older brother, Peter, and a fraternal twin brother, Ted. Dimon's father and grandfather were both stockbrokers at Shearson.^[9]

He majored in psychology and economics at Tufts University. During one summer's break from Tufts, he worked at Shearson. After graduating, he worked in management consulting for two years before enrolling in the Harvard Business School along with classmates Jeffrey Immelt, Steve Burke and Seth Klarman. During the summer's break at Harvard, he worked at Goldman Sachs. He graduated in 1982, earning a Master of Business Administration degree as a Baker Scholar. After graduation, Sandy Weill convinced him to turn down offers from Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Lehman Brothers to join him as an assistant at American Express.^[10] Although Weill could not offer the same amount of money as the investment banks, Weill promised Dimon that he would have "fun".^[11] Dimon's father, Theodore Dimon, was an executive vice president at American Express. The younger Dimon came to Weill's attention when Theodore passed along an essay that Jamie had written.

Career[link]

In a power struggle, Weill left American Express in 1985 and Dimon followed him. The two then took over Commercial Credit, a consumer finance company, from Control Data. Dimon served as the chief financial officer, helping to turn the company around. Through a series of unprecedented mergers and acquisitions, in 1998 Dimon and Weill were able to form the largest financial services conglomerate the world had ever seen, Citigroup. Dimon left Citigroup in November 1998, after being fired by Weill during a weekend executive retreat.^[12] It was rumored at the time that he and Weill argued in 1997 over Dimon's not promoting Weill's daughter, Jessica M. Bibliowicz,^[13] although that happened over a year before Dimon's departure. Many other accounts cite other, more substantive, issues as the real reasons.^[14] In his 2005 University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Fireside Chat and 2006 Kellogg School of Management interviews, Dimon confirmed that Weill fired him.

In March 2000, Dimon became CEO of Bank One, the nation's fifth largest bank.^[15] When JPMorgan Chase purchased Bank One in July 2004, Dimon became president and chief operating officer of the combined company.

On December 31, 2005, he was named chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase and one year later, on December 31, 2006, he was named chairman of the board.^[16]

In March 2008 he was a board member of the New York Federal Reserve Bank and CEO of JPMorgan and made decisions in connection with the $55 billion loan to J.P. Morgan to bail out Bear Stearns.^{[citation needed]}

Under Dimon's leadership, with the acquisitions during his tenure, JPMorgan Chase has become the leading U.S. bank in domestic assets under management, market capitalization value, and publicly traded stock value. JPMorgan Chase is also the No. 1 credit card provider in the U.S.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009, Dimon was considered one of "The TopGun CEOs" by Brendan Wood International, an advisory agency.^[17][18]

On September 26, 2011, Dimon was involved in a high-profile heated exchange with Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of Canada, in which Dimon said provisions of the Basel III international financial regulations discriminate against U.S. banks and are "anti-American".^[19]

On May 10, 2012, JPMorgan Chase initiated an emergency conference call to report a loss of at least $2 billion in trades that Dimon said were "designed to hedge the bank's overall credit risks". The strategy was, in Dimon's words, "flawed, complex, poorly reviewed, poorly executed, and poorly monitored".^[20] The episode is being investigated by the Federal Reserve, the SEC, and the FBI.^[21]

After JPMorgan's $2 billion loss, Paul Krugman criticized Dimon as

the point man in Wall Street's fight to delay, water down and/or repeal financial reform. He has been particularly vocal in his opposition to the so-called Volcker Rule, which would prevent banks with government-guaranteed deposits from engaging in "proprietary trading", basically speculating with depositors' money. Just trust us, the JPMorgan chief has in effect been saying; everything's under control. Apparently not.

The key point, wrote Krugman, "is not that the bet went bad; it is that institutions playing a key role in the financial system have no business making such bets, least of all when those institutions are backed by taxpayer guarantees".^[22]

Dimon commented on the Volcker Rule in Jan'2012, "Part of the Volcker Rule I agreed with, which is no prop trading. But market making is an essential function. And the public should recognize that we have the widest, the deepest, the most transparent capital markets in the world. And part of that is because we have enormous market making. If the rules were written as they originally came out; I suspect they'll be changed, it would really make it hard to be a market maker in the United States.” ^[23]

Federal TARP Funds[link]

As head of JPMorgan Chase, Dimon oversaw the transfer of $25 billion in funds from the U.S. Treasury Department to the bank on October 28, 2008, under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).^[24] This was the fifth largest amount transferred under Section A of TARP^[25] to help troubled assets related to residential mortgages. It has been widely reported ^[26] that JPMorgan Chase was in much better financial shape than other banks and did not need TARP funds but accepted the funds because the government did not want to single out only the banks with capital issues.

JPMorgan Chase advertised in February 2009 that it would be using its capital-base monetary strength to acquire new businesses.^[27]

By February 2009, the U.S. government had not moved forward in enforcing TARP's intent of funding JPMorgan Chase with $25 billion.^[24] In the face of the government's lack of action, Dimon was quoted during the week of February 1, 2009, as saying,

JPMorgan would be fine if we stopped talking about the damn nationalization of banks. We've got plenty of capital. To policymakers, I say where were they? ... They approved all these banks. Now they're beating up on everyone, saying look at all these mistakes, and we're going to come and fix it.^[27][28]

JPMorgan Chase was arguably the healthiest of the nine largest U.S. banks and did not need to take TARP funds. In order to encourage smaller banks with troubled assets to accept this money, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson allegedly coerced the CEOs of the nine largest banks to accept TARP money under short notice.^[29] JPMorgan Chase was also the first of the largest banks to repay the TARP money.^{[citation needed]}

Relations with the Obama Administration[link]

Dimon is a Democrat and worked in Barack Obama's adopted hometown of Chicago.

After Obama won the 2008 presidential election, there was speculation that Dimon would serve in the Obama Administration as Secretary of the Treasury. Obama eventually named the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Timothy Geithner, to the position.^[30]

Following the acquisition of Washington Mutual by JPMorgan Chase, Obama commented on Dimon's handling of the real-estate crash, credit crisis, and the banking collapse affecting corporations nationwide, including major financial institutions like Bank of America, Citibank, and Wachovia:

You know, keep in mind, though there are a lot of banks that are actually pretty well managed, JPMorgan being a good example, Jamie Dimon, the CEO there, I don't think should be punished for doing a pretty good job managing an enormous portfolio.^[31]

Dimon is influential in the Obama White House with close ties to some there, including former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.^[32] Dimon was one of three CEOs—along with Lloyd Blankfein and Vikram Pandit—said by the Associated Press to have had liberal access to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in the seven months during the financial crisis in fall 2008.^[33][34] Nonetheless, Dimon has often publicly disagreed with some of Obama's policies.^[35]

On the May 15, 2012, episode of ABC's The View, Obama responded to a question from Whoopi Goldberg regarding JPMorgan Chase's recently publicized $2 billion trading losses by defending Dimon against allegations of irresponsibility, saying, "first of all, JP Morgan is one of the best managed banks there is. Jamie Dimon, the head of it, is one of the smartest bankers we've got", but added, "it's going to be investigated."^[36]

Personal life[link]

Dimon is married to Judith Kent; they have three children—Julia, Laura, and Kara Leigh. Kent is Jewish; Dimon is not.^[37]

Fictional portrayals[link]

Dimon is portrayed by Bill Pullman in the 2011 HBO film Too Big to Fail and by Michael Brandon in the BBC TV film The Last Days of Lehman Brothers.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Profile at JPMorgan Chase
• Executive profile at Businessweek
  • 1996 BusinessWeek profile
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Jamie Dimon on Charlie Rose
• Works by or about Jamie Dimon in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Jamie Dimon collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Jamie Dimon collected news and commentary at The Wall Street Journal
• Jamie Dimon collected news and commentary at Business Insider
• Jamie Dimon at the Notable Names Database
• Highest-paid men: 19. Jamie Dimon. CNN Money, 2007

Interviews and articles

• Jamie Dimon: Crain's New Influentials
• Interview with Financial Times
• Jamie Dimon: Rising to the Top, Again. - Monroe Street Journal, November 12, 2001
• Bank One Chairman and CEO speaks to Executive MBA students, video of an address at Kellogg School of Management, October 4, 2002
• In This Corner! The Contender, Fortune, March 21, 2006
• [1] 2009
• [2], book about Jamie Dimon, Last Man Standing

Bob Bethell (November 5, 1942 – May 20, 2012) was a Republican member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 113th district. He served from 1999 until his death on May 20, 2012.^[1]

Prior to his election to the House, Bethell served as mayor of the town of Alden, Kansas. He had also worked as a long term care administrator, pastor, high school vice principal, middle school principal, and college director of admissions.

He received his MEd in Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and a BS in Secondary Education from John Brown University.^[2]

Bethell died May 20, 2012, after a one-car accident on Interstate 70 in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, on his way home from the conclusion of the 2012 Kansas House of Representatives legislative session.^[3] He was 69.

Committee membership[link]

• Commerce and Labor
• Corrections and Juvenile Justice
• Elections
• Aging and Long Term Care (Chair)
• Joint Committee on Health Policy Oversight
• Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services Oversight (Vice-Chair)

References[link]

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ "Biography: Representative Bob Bethell". votesmart.org: Project Vote Smart. http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/18570. Retrieved July 1, 2009. 
3. ^ John Milburn (May 21, 2012). "Kansas Rep. Bethell of Alden dies in car accident". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, Kansas. http://www.kansas.com/2012/05/21/2342714/state-rep-bob-bethell-dies-in.html. Retrieved May 21, 2012. 

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Kansas Legislature - Bob Bethell
• Project Vote Smart profile
• Kansas Votes profile
• State Surge - Legislative and voting track record
• Campaign contributions: 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010

Richard Cordray
1st Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Incumbent
Assumed office January 4, 2012
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Raj Date (Special Adviser)
49th Attorney General of Ohio
In office January 8, 2009 – January 9, 2011
Governor	Ted Strickland
Preceded by	Nancy Rogers
Succeeded by	Mike DeWine
46th Treasurer of Ohio
In office January 8, 2007 – January 7, 2009
Governor	Ted Strickland
Preceded by	Jennette Bradley
Succeeded by	Kevin Boyce
Treasurer of Franklin County
In office December 9, 2002 – January 8, 2007
Preceded by	Wade Steen
Succeeded by	Ed Leonard
Solicitor General of Ohio
In office 1993–1994
Governor	George Voinovich
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Jeffrey Sutton
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives for the 33rd District
In office January 7, 1991 – December 31, 1992
Preceded by	Don Gilmore
Succeeded by	Priscilla Mead
Personal details
Born	(1959-05-03) May 3, 1959 (age 53) Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Peggy Cordray
Children	Danny Holly
Alma mater	Michigan State University University of Oxford University of Chicago
Website	Campaign website

Richard Cordray (born May 3, 1959) is an American politician, who is serving as the Director of the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which officially began operating in July 2011.^[1] Before that he was Attorney General of Ohio.

On July 17, 2011, President Barack Obama announced he would nominate Cordray to lead the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. On January 4, 2012, the White House announced that it would make a controversial^[2] recess appointment of Cordray to the post.^[3][4][5]

Cordray was elected Attorney General of Ohio in November 2008 to fill the remainder of the unexpired term ending January 2011. On November 2, 2010, Cordray lost his bid for re-election to former Lt. Governor and U.S. Senator Mike DeWine. Prior to his Attorney General position, Cordray served as the Ohio State Treasurer and as treasurer of Franklin County, Ohio. He has also previously served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives (1991–1993) and as the first Ohio state solicitor (1993–1994).

Cordray was a Marshall Scholar at Oxford University, 1981–83. Later, he was editor-in-chief of the University of Chicago Law Review and subsequently served as a law clerk for Judge Robert Bork on the U.S. Court for the District of Columbia Circuit (1986 - 87 term), and after that, Justice Anthony Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1987 he became an undefeated five-time Jeopardy! champion.

After the 1990 census, the district he represented in the Ohio House of Representatives in 1992 was merged with another district held by a Democratic incumbent. Cordray decided to run for a United States House of Representatives seat but did not win the election. The following year he was appointed by the Ohio attorney general as the first Ohio state solicitor. His experience as Solicitor led to his appearance before the United States Supreme Court to argue six cases, where he had previously clerked. Following Republican victories in Ohio statewide elections in 1994, Cordray left his appointed position and entered the private practice of law. He was elected Franklin County treasurer in 2002. While in private practice he unsuccessfully ran for Ohio attorney general in 1998 and United States senator in 2000. Cordray won re-election as Franklin County treasurer before being elected state treasurer in 2006.

Early life, education, and early law career[link]

Cordray was raised in Grove City, Ohio, where he attended public schools. While attending Grove City High School, Cordray became a champion on the high school quiz show In The Know and worked for minimum wage at McDonald's.^[6][7] He graduated from high school in 1977 as co-valedictorian of his class.^[8] His first job in politics was as an intern for United States Senator John Glenn as a junior at Michigan State University's James Madison College.^[6] Cordray earned Phi Beta Kappa honors and graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Legal & Political Theory in 1981. As a Marshall Scholar, he earned an MA with first class honours in Economics from the University of Oxford and earned a Varsity Blue in basketball in 1983.^[6] At the University of Chicago Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor with honors in 1986, he served as editor-in-chief of the University of Chicago Law Review.^[6][9] After starting work as a law clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court, he came back to his high school to deliver the commencement speech for the graduating class in 1988.^[8]

Cordray began his career clerking for Judge Robert Bork and Supreme Court associate justices Byron White and Anthony Kennedy.^[10][6] After clerking for White in 1987–1988, he was hired by the international law firm Jones Day to work in its Cleveland office.^[9]

Early political career (1990-1995)[link]

He also taught various courses at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and at Georgetown University.^[6]

Ohio House of Representatives[link]

In 1990 Cordray ran for an Ohio State House of Representatives seat, in the 33rd District (southern and western Franklin County), against six-term incumbent Republican Don Gilmore.^[11] Unopposed for the Democratic nomination,^[12] he defeated Gilmore by a 18,573–11,944 (61–39%) margin.^[13]

As a state representative from 1991 to 1992, Cordray legislated against crime, on behalf of the environment, and for the protection of children and families.^[6]

1992 congressional election[link]

In 1991 the state Apportionment Board, controlled by a 3–2 Republican majority despite the party's 61–38 minority in the state House of Representatives,^[14] redrew state legislative districts following the results of the 1990 Census, in the hope of retaking control of the state House.^[15] The new boundaries created nine districts each with two resident incumbent Democrats, pairing Cordray with the twenty-two-year incumbent Mike Stinziano.^[16][17] Unable to be elected in another district due to a one-year residency requirement, Cordray opted not to run for re-election.^[18] Instead, he decided to run for Ohio's 15th congressional district in the 1992 U.S. House of Representatives elections, a seat being vacated by retiring thirteen-term Republican Chalmers Wylie, and being challenged by Republican Deborah D. Pryce.

Cordray won the Democratic nomination over Bill Buckel by a 18,731–5,329 (78–22%) margin,^[19] following the withdrawal of another candidate, Dave Sommer.^[20][21] Cordray's platform included federal spending cuts, term limits for Congress and a line-item veto for the president.^[22] When Pryce announced that she would vote to support abortion rights, Linda S. Reidelbach entered the race as an independent.^[23] Thus, the general election was a three-way affair, with Pryce taking a plurality of 110,390 votes (44.1%), Cordray taking 94,907 votes (37.9%) and Linda Reidelbach taking 44,906 votes (17.9%).^[24]

Ohio Solicitor General[link]

While in private practice in 1993, Cordray co-wrote a legal brief for the Anti-Defamation League, in a campaign supported by Ohio's attorney general, for the reinstatement of Ohio's hate crime laws. This was considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, but not ruled on because of its similarity to a previous Wisconsin ruling.^[25]

In 1993 the government of Ohio created the office of state solicitor general to handle the state's appellate work. The state solicitor, appointed by the Ohio attorney general, is responsible for cases that are to be argued before the Ohio Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. Until 1998, the Solicitor worked without any support staff.^[26] Cordray, who had earlier worked for a summer in the office of the United States solicitor general,^[27] was the first Solicitor to be appointed, in September 1993.^[27] He held the position until he resigned after Ohio Attorney General Lee Fisher was defeated by Betty Montgomery in 1994.^[28][29] His cases before the Supreme Court included Wilson v. Layne (526 U.S. 603 (1999)) and Hanlon v. Berger (526 U.S. 808 (1999)).^[6] Though he lost his first case, he won his second case, which garnered a substantial amount of media attention for its consideration of the constitutionality of media ride-alongs with police.^[28] Other cases included Household Credit Services v. Pfennig (541 U.S. 232 (2004)), Brown v. Legal Foundation of Washington (538 U.S. 216 (2003)), Demore v. Kim (538 U.S. 510 (2003)), and Groh v. Ramirez (540 U.S. 551 (2004)).

Cordray contested the Ku Klux Klan's right to erect a cross at the Ohio Statehouse after the state's Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board denied the Klan's request during the 1993 Christmas holiday. He argued that the symbolic meaning of the cross was different from the Christmas tree and menorah, which the state permits. The Klan prevailed in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on December 21, 1993, and erected a 10-foot (3 m) cross the following day.^[30][31] The same board denied the Klan a permit to rally on Martin Luther King Day (January 15, 1994) due to the group's failure to pay a $15,116 bill from its Oct. 23 rally and its refusal to post a bond to cover expenses for the proposed rally.^[32] When the same 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision to deny the 1994 permit, the state chose not to appeal.^[33] The following year the Klan again applied to erect a cross for the Christmas holiday season, and the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concurred with the prior ruling.^[34] The United States Supreme Court did not agree to hear arguments on the topic until a few weeks after Cordray resigned from his solicitor general position.^[35] After his resignation in 1994 he several times represented the federal government in the U.S. Supreme Court: two of Cordray's appearances before were by appointment of the Democratic Bill Clinton Justice Department and two were by the Republican George W. Bush Justice Department.^[36]

Cordray was granted a ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court that lower courts could not grant a stay of execution for a death row inmate. At the same time, Fisher, Cordray's boss, sought a referendum to mandate that appeals in death penalty cases be made directly to the Supreme Court.^[37] In 1994 the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Steffen v. Tate (39 F.3d 622 1994) limited death row inmates to a single federal appeal and said that federal courts cannot stay an execution if the case is still in a state court.^[38]

Latter political career (1995-2007)[link]

In early 1996, Cordray was elected to the Ohio Democratic Party Central Committee from the 15th district by a 5,472–1,718 margin over John J. Kulewicz.^[39]

In late 1996 Cordray, who was in private practice at the time, was a leading contender and finalist for a United States Attorney position during the second term of the Clinton Administration, along with Kent Markus and Sharon Zealey.^[40][41] Zealey was eventually selected.^[42]

1998 Ohio Attorney General election[link]

During the 1998 election for Ohio attorney general, Cordray ran unopposed in the Democratic primary^[43] but was defeated, 62%–38%, by one-term Republican incumbent Betty Montgomery.^[44][45]

2000 U.S. Senate election[link]

Cordray entered the U.S. Senate elections in a race that began as a three-way contest for the Democratic nomination to oppose first-term Republican incumbent Mike DeWine. The three-way race was unusual since the three candidates (Cordray, Rev. Marvin McMickle, and Ted Celeste) were encouraged to campaign together in order to promote name recognition, conserve resources and lessen infighting.^[46] Ohio Democratic party leaders believed Cordray was better suited for an Ohio Supreme Court seat and urged him to drop out of the Senate race. Despite the Ohio Democrats not endorsing any candidate in the primary election,^[47] the entry of Dan Radakovich as a fourth competitor,^[48] and the anticipated entry of former Mayor of Cincinnati and television personality Jerry Springer, Cordray persisted in his campaign.^[49] Celeste, the younger brother of former Ohio governor Dick Celeste,^[50] won with 369,772 votes. He was trailed by McMickle (the only black Senate candidate in the country in 2000)^[48] with 204,811 votes, Cordray with 200,157, and Radakovich with 69,002.^[51]

Franklin County Treasurer[link]

Cordray was unopposed in the May 7, 2002, primary election for the Democratic nomination as Franklin County treasurer.^[52] He defeated Republican incumbent Wade Steen, who had been appointed in May 2001 to replace Bobbie M. Hall.^[53] The election was close, unofficially 131,199–128,677 (50.5%–49.5%), official margin of victory 3,232.^[54][55] Cordray was the first Democrat to hold the position since 1977,^[56] and he assumed office on December 9, 2002, instead of after January 1 because he was filling Hall's unexpired term.^[57]

In the 2004 race for re-election, the Franklin County Republican party made no endorsement,^[58] but Republican Jim Timko challenged Cordray.^[59] Cordray defeated him and was elected to a four-year term by a 272,593–153,625 (64%–36%) margin.^[60][61] As Franklin County treasurer, Cordray focused on four major initiatives: collection of delinquent tax revenue through a tax lien certificate sale, creation of a land bank, personal finance education, and the development of a community outreach program.^[62] He managed a portfolio that averages $650 million and consistently beat its benchmarks, and he set new records for delinquent tax collection in Franklin County, which was the only Ohio county with a AAA credit rating.^[63][64] He also served as president of the Board of Revision and chair of the Budget Commission.^[65] In 2005, Cordray was named the national "County Leader of the Year" by American City & County magazine.^[66]

Statewide office (2007-2011)[link]

Ohio Treasurer[link]

In the 2006 Democratic party primary election for state treasurer he was set to face Montgomery County Treasurer Hugh Quill who filed an entry,^[67] but in the end, he was unopposed.^[68] He defeated Republican nominee Sandra O'Brien for state treasurer in the 2006 election. Cordray succeeded Jennette Bradley in a near-statewide sweep by the Democratic Party.^[60] Cordray noted that when he assumed statewide office, Ohio was challenged with restoring public trust after the misdeeds of former Ohio Governor Bob Taft. Referring to what in a similar way would be required to follow Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and his interim successor Nancy Rogers he said: "... we have been patiently rebuilding the public trust there [in the state government] and I think it would be a very similar task there in the Attorney General’s office."^[69][70]

Ohio Attorney General[link]

2008 election[link]

Cordray campaigning for Barack Obama on October 13, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio

Cordray announced his 2008 candidacy for Ohio state attorney general on June 11, 2008. He was endorsed by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.^[71][72] The vacancy in the office of the attorney general was created by the May 14, 2008, resignation of Marc Dann who was embroiled in a sex scandal.^[72][73][74] Several leading Republican party contenders such as Montgomery, Jim Petro, DeWine, Maureen O'Connor, and Rob Portman declined to enter the race.^[72][75] Cordray's opponents in the race were Michael Crites (Republican), and Robert M. Owens (Independent).^[76] Cordray had a large financial advantage over his opponents with approximately 30 times as much campaign financing as Crites.^[77] Crites' campaign strategies included attempts to link Cordray with Dann—an association the The Columbus Dispatch called into question^[78]—and promoting himself as having more years of prosecutorial experience.^[79] Cordray asserted that he managed the state's money safely despite the turbulence of the financial crisis of 2007–2008.^[80][81]

Ohio statewide offices are regularly contested every four years in the midterm election years. 2008 is Class 2 senatorial election year, and Ohio is a state with class 1 and class 3 senators. Thus, the Attorney General race was the only non-presidential race in the 2008 election aside from contests for two seats on the Ohio Supreme Court. Cordray defeated Republican Mike Crites, 57%-38%.^[82]

Tenure[link]

Bank of America

In July 2009, Denny Chin, a judge on the United States district court for the Southern District of New York, granted lead plaintiff status to a group of five public pension funds for investor class-action lawsuits against the Bank of America Corporation over its acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Company. The claim is that Bank of America misled investors about Merrill's financial well-being prior to the January 1, 2009 acquisition despite awareness that Merrill was headed toward a significant loss that amounted to $15.84 billion in its fourth quarter.^[83] The suit also alleges that significant bonus payments were concealed.^[84]

The curious dealings led to congressional hearings about why the merger commenced without any disclosures.^[83] In September 2009, Cordray, on behalf of Ohio's largest public employee pension funds (State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio and the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System), the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and pension funds from Sweden and the Netherlands, filed suit alleging that Bank of America, its directors and four executives (Bank of America Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis, Bank of America Chief Financial Officer Joe Price, accounting chief Neil Cotty and former Merrill chairman and CEO John Thain) acted to conceal Merrill's growing losses from shareholders voted to approve the deal the prior December.^[85]

Prior to the filing the five funds had filed individual complaints, but the September filing of an amended complaint joined the actions with Cordray representing the lead plaintiff.^[85] The amended complaint includes details about conversations and communications between Bank of America and Merrill Lynch executives that were revealed in media reports, congressional testimony and investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission.^[84] The filing is an attempt to recover losses endured when Bank of America's share price fell after the transaction. The damages are sought from Bank of America, individual executives, the bank's board of directors, including any insurers that cover directors' legal liabilities.^[85] Among the specifics of the claim are that Bank of America agreed to allow Merrill Lynch to pay as much as $5.8 billion in undisclosed year-end discretionary bonuses to executives and employees and that Bank of America and Merrill Lynch executives were aware of billions of dollars in losses suffered by Merrill Lynch in the two months before the merger vote but failed to disclose them.^[84]

Bid rigging case

In April 2010, he reached a 1 billion dollar settlement with American International Group (AIG), one of four remaining named defendants (along with Marsh & McLennan, Hartford Financial Services and Chubb Corp.), in a 2007 antitrust case regarding business practices between 2001 and 2004. The settlement is to be divided among 26 Ohio universities, cities and schools. Zurich Financial Services settled in 2006. Cordray believes that Marsh was the organizing company for the illegal practices and notes that a trial could commence in 2011. AIG admitted no wrongdoing and that the settlement was to avoid risks and prolonged expenses.^[86]

2010 election[link]

On November 2, 2010, Cordray lost his re-election bid to former U.S. senator Mike DeWine by two points.^[87][88][89]

Cordray has repeatedly been mentioned as a potential 2014 candidate for Governor of Ohio^[90][91], and was recently rumored to be associated with a failed attempt to take over the leadership of the Ohio Democratic Party^[92][93][94].

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2012-Present)[link]

On Wednesday, December 15, 2010, Special Advisor to President Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren announced that she had selected Richard Cordray to lead the enforcement arm of the newly-created United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). She added that "Richard Cordray has the vision and experience to help us build a team that ensures every lender in the marketplace is playing by the rules." In announcing his appointment to this position Cordray also stated that he intends to once again, run for statewide office in Ohio in 2014.^[95][96][97] Cordray described the opportunity to The Wall Street Journal as a chance to resume "...in many ways doing on a 50-state basis the things I cared most about as a state attorney general, with a more robust and a more comprehensive authority."^[98]

On July 17, Cordray was selected over Warren as the head of the entire CFPB.^[99] However, his nomination was immediately in jeopardy because 44 Senate Republicans had previously vowed to derail any nominee in order to push for a decentralized structure to the organization. This was part of a pattern of conflict between Republicans in the Senate and the Obama administration that had led to record numbers of blocked and failed nominations.^[100][101] On July 21, Senator Richard Shelby wrote an op-ed article for The Wall Street Journal affirming continued opposition (that went back to a May 5 letter to the President) to a centralized structure, noting that both the Securities Exchange Commission and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation had executive boards and that the CFPB should be no different.^[102] Politico interpreted Shelby's statements as saying that Cordray's nomination was "Dead on Arrival".^[103] In October, as the nomination continued to be on hold, the National Association of Attorneys General endorsed Cordray.^[104] On December 8, 2011, the Senate failed to secure cloture on Cordray's nomination. The final vote was 53-45.^[105]

On January 4, 2012, a White House communications director announced in a tweet that Obama would be giving Cordray a recess appointment to the post, bypassing the Senate and installing Cordray.^[3][4][5] The move was criticized by Republican senators, who argued that Congress had not officially been in recess, and that Obama did not have the authority to bypass Congressional approval.^[106] Writing for the New Republic, Timothy Noah, a supporter of Cordray, wrote, "As someone who strongly supported a recess appointment for Richard Cordray to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, I'm confused as to why President Obama chose to act today... The trouble is that the Senate isn't in recess."^[107]

Personal life[link]

Cordray was born in Columbus, Ohio,^[69] the middle child between brothers Frank, Jr. and Jim.^[6] He was married in 1992 to Margaret "Peggy" Cordray,^[6][108] a law professor at Capital University Law School. The Cordrays have twins, a daughter and son, and currently reside near Grove City, Ohio.^[69] Cordray's father, Frank Cordray, Sr., was living in Grove City at the time Cordray moved back to Columbus to work for the law firm of Jones Day.^[9][14] His father retired as an Orient Developmental Center program director for mentally retarded residents after 43 years of service.^[6] His mother, from Dayton, Ohio,^[69] died in 1980.^[6][9] She had been a social worker, teacher and founder of Ohio's first foster grandparent program for individuals with developmental disabilities.^[6] Cordray carried the Olympic Flame through Findlay, Ohio, as part of the nationwide torch relay to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.^[6] He has served as a member of the Advisory Board for the Friends of the Homeless and part of Al Gore's select group known as Leadership '98.^[6]

[edit] Appearance on Jeopardy!

Cordray has the distinction of being an undefeated five-time champion and Tournament of Champions semifinalist on Jeopardy!^[109] In 1987, he won $45,303 from the show, which he used to pay law school debt, to pay taxes and to buy a used car.^[110] The total winnings came from $40,303 in prize money during his five-contest streak and $5,000 for a first round win on the Tournament of Champions.^[111] His campaign for public office in 1990 precluded him from participating in the Super Jeopardy! elimination tournament of champions.^[112] ABC, the network that carried the show, had a policy against political contestants appearing on the show (excluding Celebrity Jeopardy!).^[110]

See also[link]

• List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States

Notes[link]