Robert Lighthizer

Robert Emmet Lighthizer (born October 11, 1947) is an American lawyer.Rasky, Susan F. (September 30, 1984). The steel trade negotiations; the experts who will forge the new quotas. The New York Times. Last visited January 3, 2017.Nomination of Robert Emmet Lighthizer To Be a Deputy United States Trade Representative . The American Presidency Project. Last visited January 3, 2017. He was the 18th United States Trade Representative from May 15, 2017 to January 20, 2021.

Lighthizer is a partner with the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he works to gain access to foreign markets on behalf of U.S. corporations. In the 1980s, he served as deputy trade representative during President Ronald Reagan's administration.Robert E. Lighthizer. Skadden.com. Last visited January 3, 2017.

Early life
Lighthizer was born in Ashtabula, Ohio. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1969 and a Juris Doctor in 1973 from Georgetown University.

Career
From 1973 through 1978, before working in government, Lighthizer worked for the Washington, DC law firm of Covington & Burling. 

In 1983, during the administration of President Ronald Reagan, he became deputy trade representative. He negotiated two dozen bilateral international agreements on subjects ranging from steel to grain.

In 1985, Lighthizer negotiated against the United States, on behalf of Brazil, in a trade dispute over ethanol. Between 1985 and 1990, Lighthizer represented five foreign clients.

He has been a long time supporter of the U.S. steel industry. He convinced  Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and the United Kingdom to accept “voluntary restraint agreements” to limit the amount of cheap steel they could dump on the U.S. market.

United States Trade Representative (2017–2021)
On January 3, 2017, then-President-elect Donald Trump announced that he planned to nominate Lighthizer as U.S. trade representative, a cabinet-level position.Jacobs, Jennifer (January 3, 2017). Trump Taps China Critic Lighthizer for U.S. Trade Representative. Bloomberg. Last visited January 3, 2017.

Lighthizer's nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on a 82-14 vote.

During his time in office, he focused on American trade policy during Trump's first presidency. His policies were focused toward protection of manufacturing in the United States. Lighthizer had an important role in the administration's renegotiation of NAFTA and the United States' trade war with China. Many of these trade policies have been kept by the Biden administration.

Second Trump administration
In November 2024, President-elect Trump said that Lighthizer will serve as his "trade czar" during his second administration.

Personal life
Lighthizer lives in Rockville, Maryland and has 2 children.

References

Other websites

Category:1947 births
Category:Living people
Category:Lawyers from Ohio
Category:United States Trade Representatives
Category:Politicians from Ohio
Category:Republican Party (United States) politicians
Category:Politicians from Florida
Category:Lawyers from Florida