Counselor to the President

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Counselor to the President
US-WhiteHouse-Logo.svg
Counselor to the President 2017.png
Incumbent

since January 20, 2017
Executive Office of the President
White House Office
Appointer Donald Trump
as President of the United States
Formation January 20, 1969; 48 years ago (1969-01-20)
First holder Arthur F. Burns
Website The White House

The Counselor to the President is a high-ranking assistant to the President of the United States, and a senior member of the Executive Office of the President.

History[edit]

The position was created during the administration of Richard Nixon, where it was assigned cabinet-rank. The position would be considered at cabinet level until 1993.

During Nixon's presidency, no fewer than eight individuals held the position, with there sometimes being two or three "Counselors to the President."

During the presidency of Gerald Ford, the post was shared by Robert Hartmann and John O. Marsh, with Rogers Morton briefly joining them in early 1976.

The position was vacant during the Jimmy Carter administration, as Carter left many senior White House positions unfilled (such as White House Chief of Staff) and preferred a smaller corps of advisers.[1]

Edwin Meese held the position during the first term of President Ronald Reagan, and was highly influential inside the White House. Meese, White House Chief of Staff James Baker and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Michael Deaver were nicknamed "The Troika" and considered the most influential advisors to the president.[2]

Meese became Attorney General during Reagan's second term as president and the position was left vacant.

The position was left vacant in the first three years of President George H.W. Bush's term. In 1992 it was filled by Clayton Yeutter after he resigned as chairman of the Republican National Committee.

During the Bill Clinton administration, the post became much more focused on communications. Two of Clinton's counselors, David Gergen and Paul Begala, later became CNN political analysts.

During the administration of George W. Bush, the Counselor oversaw the Communications, Media Affairs, Speechwriting, and Press Offices.[3]

Under the Obama Administration, the position was initially abolished and the duties of the office transferred to three senior advisors: David Axelrod,[4][5] Pete Rouse,[5][6] and Valerie Jarrett,[7] who also held the title Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison.[5] On January 6, 2011, President Obama appointed Rouse as Counselor to the President where he was responsible for assisting the President and White House Chief of Staff with the day-to-day management of White House staff operations.[8][9] John Podesta was the last person to hold the position before he left to join the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign of 2016 as chairman.[10]

Soon after the 2016 election, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to have Stephen Bannon serve as his senior counselor. Bannon will also have the additional title of "chief strategist."[11] Later, he named Kellyanne Conway to be a second counselor.[12]

List of Counselors to the President[edit]

President Reagan holds an oval office staff meeting on his first full day in office. Front left, Counselor to the President Edwin Meese.
"The Troika". From left to right: White House Chief of Staff James Baker, Counselor to the President Ed Meese and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Deaver at the White House, December 2, 1981.
Counselor to the President Karen Hughes and First Lady Laura Bush, June 28, 2002.
Counselor to the President Dan Bartlett delivering a briefing on President George W. Bush's State of the Union Message, February 3, 2005.
Counselor to the President Ed Gillespie (right) and Chief of Staff to the Vice President David Addington review a document, December 5, 2007.
Counselor to the President Pete Rouse, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and Vice President Joe Biden talk with President Barack Obama, April 2, 2013.
Counselor to the President John Podesta meets with President Obama in the Oval Office, January 29, 2015.
Counselor Term of office Party President
Arthur Burns Arthur F. Burns
(1904–1987)		 January 20, 1969 –
November 5, 1969		 Republican Richard Nixon
(1969–1974)
Pat Moynihan Pat Moynihan
(1927–2003)		 November 5, 1969[13] –
December 31, 1970[14]		 Democratic
Bryce Harlow Bryce Harlow
(1916–1987)		 November 5, 1969[13] –
December 9, 1970[15]		 Republican
Robert Finch Robert Finch
(1925–1995)		 June 23, 1970[16] –
December 15, 1972[17]		 Republican
Donald Rumsfeld Donald Rumsfeld
(born 1932)		 December 11, 1970[18] –
October 15, 1971[18]		 Republican
Anne Armstrong Anne Armstrong
(1927–2008)		 January 19, 1973 –
December 18, 1974		 Republican
No image.svg Dean Burch
(1927–1991)		 March 8, 1974[19] –
December 31, 1974[20]		 Republican
Kenneth Rush Kenneth Rush
(1910–1994)		 May 29, 1974[21] –
September 19, 1974[22]		 Republican
No image.svg Robert Hartmann[23]
(1917–2008)		 August 9, 1974 –
January 20, 1977		 Republican Gerald Ford
(1974–1977)
John O. Marsh John O. Marsh
(born 1926)		 August 9, 1974[24] –
January 20, 1977[25]		 Democratic
RogersClarkBallardMorton.jpg Rogers Morton[26]
(1914–1979)		 February 2, 1976 –
April 1, 1976		 Republican
Vacant Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
Edwin Meese Edwin Meese
(born 1931)		 January 20, 1981 –
February 25, 1985		 Republican Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
Vacant
George H.W. Bush
(1989–1993)
Clayton Yeutter Clayton Yeutter
(born 1930)		 February 1, 1992 –
January 20, 1993		 Republican
Vacant Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
David Gergen David Gergen
(born 1942)		 May 29, 1993 –
June 10, 1994		 Republican
Vacant
No image.svg Bill Curry
(born 1951)		 February 21, 1995 –
January 20, 1997		 Democratic
Vacant
Paul Begala Paul Begala
(born 1961)		 August 17, 1997[27] –
March 10, 1999		 Democratic
No image.svg Ann Lewis
(born 1937)		 March 10, 1999 –
January 20, 2001		 Democratic
Karen Hughes Karen Hughes
(born 1956)		 January 20, 2001 –
July 8, 2002		 Republican George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
Vacant
Dan Bartlett Dan Bartlett
(born 1971)		 January 5, 2005 –
July 5, 2007		 Republican
Ed Gillespie Ed Gillespie
(born 1961)		 July 5, 2007 –
January 20, 2009		 Republican
Vacant Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
Pete Rouse Pete Rouse
(born 1946)		 January 13, 2011 –
January 1, 2014		 Democratic
John Podesta John Podesta
(born 1949)		 January 1, 2014 –
February 13, 2015		 Democratic
Vacant
Stephen Bannon Steve Bannon
Senior Counselor and Chief Strategist
(born 1953)		 January 20, 2017 Republican Donald Trump
(2017–present)
Kellyanne Conway Kellyanne Conway
(born 1967)		 January 20, 2017 Republican

Dina Habib Powell, Head, Impact Investing Business, Goldman Sachs; President, Goldman Sachs Foundation (19459892442).jpg

 Dina Powell
Senior Counselor for Economic Initiatives
(born 1973)		 January 20, 2017 Republican

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Citation Information" (PDF). Jimmycarterlibrary.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2016. 
  2. ^ "The Presidential Troika". NYTimes.com. April 19, 1981. Retrieved November 14, 2016. 
  3. ^ "Former Counselor to the President, Dan Bartlett's Biography". Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. October 22, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2016. 
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009. 
  5. ^ a b c "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2009. 
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2009. 
  7. ^ "Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved November 14, 2016. 
  8. ^ "Obama Picks William Daley As Chief Of Staff". NPR. January 6, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2011. 
  9. ^ "Daley's duties". 
  10. ^ "Counselor to the President John Podesta". WhiteHouse.gov. Retrieved October 1, 2014. 
  11. ^ "Donald Trump Taps Reince Priebus As Chief Of Staff, Steve Bannon As Chief Strategist : The Two-Way". NPR. August 17, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016. 
  12. ^ "Trump Picks Kellyanne Conway to Serve as Counselor to the President". politico. December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016. 
  13. ^ a b [1] Archived October 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ^ "White House Farewell". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2016. 
  15. ^ "Harlow Resigns As Aide to Nixon; Will Return to Lobbyist Post". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2016. 
  16. ^ "Finch and the Postwar Economy". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2016. 
  17. ^ [2][dead link]
  18. ^ a b [3][dead link]
  19. ^ "Burch Under Senate Pressure to Step Up FCC Departure 3 Vacancies". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2016. 
  20. ^ "Burch Resigning as White House Adviser Notes on People". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2016. 
  21. ^ "Rush Sworn as Counselor to President on Economy". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2016. 
  22. ^ "Kenneth Rush - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". History.state.gov. Retrieved November 14, 2016. 
  23. ^ Dennis Hevesi (April 19, 2008). "Robert Hartmann, 91, Dies; Wrote Ford's Noted Talk". The New York Times. Retrieved November 14, 2016. 
  24. ^ "Ford Bids Cabinet and Agency Heads Remain in Post Indefinite Stays". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2016. 
  25. ^ "Ford Making Plans For Handing Over Controls to Carter - Article". The New York Times. Retrieved November 14, 2016. 
  26. ^ https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/guides/findingaid/mortonrfiles.asp#sfftl
  27. ^ "NEWS SUMMARY". The New York Times. August 17, 1997. Retrieved November 18, 2016. 
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