Anthony Foxx

Foxx was born on April 30, 1971, in Charlotte, North Carolina.{{cite web|url=http://blackpoliticalbuzz.blogspot.com/2009/10/charlottes-next-mayor-experienced-small.html|title=Charlotte's Next Mayor|last=Laurel|date=October 18, 2009|access-date=November 12, 2009|archive-date=July 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708025208/http://blackpoliticalbuzz.blogspot.com/2009/10/charlottes-next-mayor-experienced-small.html|url-status=live}} He was raised by his mother, Laura Foxx, and his grandparents, James and Mary Foxx,{{cite news |title=Where Politics is a Family Affair |publisher=The Charlotte Observer |date=February 6, 2007 |page=1B}} pursued education at Piedmont Open IB Middle School, and graduated from West Charlotte High School.{{cite news |title=Anthony Foxx, Democrat - Describes Himself as Mediator, Ready to Speak Out on Issues |work=The Charlotte Observer |date=October 18, 2009 |author=Harrison, Steve |page=1A}} He graduated from Davidson College, where he was the first African American student body president,{{cite news |title=Grandfather's Lessons Pay Off for City Council Contender - Grandson of Stalwart of Democratic Party Leads Primary At-Large Ticket |publisher=The Charlotte Observer |date=September 29, 2005 |author=Rubin, Richard |page=1B}} in 1993. Foxx majored in history,{{cite web|url=http://www.hunton.com/bios/bio.aspx?id=15769&tab=0013 |title=Anthony R. Foxx |access-date=November 4, 2009 |publisher=Hunton & Williams |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923111941/http://www.hunton.com/bios/bio.aspx?id=15769&tab=0013 |archive-date=September 23, 2009 }} and went on to earn a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1996.

After law school, Foxx returned to Charlotte to work for a short time at the Smith, Helms, Mullis, and Moore law firm, and left to become a clerk for Judge Nathaniel R. Jones of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Later he worked for the United States Department of Justice and the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. In 2004, he was the campaign manager for Representative Mel Watt.

In 2001, he returned to Charlotte to work as a business litigator for Hunton & Williams. While a member of the city council, he retained his position as a litigator at Hunton & Williams, switching to part-time status.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Foxx was first elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2005 to an at-large seat, and was re-elected in 2007. He won election as Charlotte's 54th and youngest mayor in 2009 and was re-elected in 2011; he became the city's first Democratic mayor since Harvey Gantt left office in 1987.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

Upon becoming mayor, Foxx faced Charlotte's worst recession in more than 80 years. As the nation's second largest financial services center, the city lost more than 25,000 jobs in the recession. Foxx reformed the city's public safety pay plan and developed a demand-driven approach to workforce development that has become a national model.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/postlive/mayor-foxx-on-charlottes-herculean-efforts-to-promote-training/2013/04/24/8a28a8b6-ad0c-11e2-a8b9-2a63d75b5459_video.html|title=Mayor Foxx on Charlotte's "herculean" efforts to promote training|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=August 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814200943/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/postlive/mayor-foxx-on-charlottes-herculean-efforts-to-promote-training/2013/04/24/8a28a8b6-ad0c-11e2-a8b9-2a63d75b5459_video.html|url-status=live}} Foxx also announced the creation of more than 4,000 new jobs. 19,000 jobs short of what was lost on his watch. He hosted a series of town hall meetings with unemployed workers, pushed for changes to the city's small business loan program, and pressed White House officials for economic recovery spending measures.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

From a transportation perspective, Foxx helped salvage the city's largest single capital project: The Blue Line Extension, which was threatened by lower than anticipated sales tax revenue.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/11/19/charlottes-once-ambitious-rapid-transit-plan-faces-budget-ax/|title=Charlotte's Once Ambitious Rapid Transit Plan Faces Budget Ax|date=November 19, 2010|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=June 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625153409/http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/11/19/charlottes-once-ambitious-rapid-transit-plan-faces-budget-ax/|url-status=live}}

On April 29, 2013, President Barack Obama announced that he would nominate Foxx to the post of the Secretary of Transportation. On June 27, 2013, the Senate confirmed the nomination by a unanimous vote. Foxx resigned from his elected position as mayor to accept the federal appointment.{{cite web| url=http://www.wbtv.com/story/22724420/opening-up-the-process-to-find-interim-mayor| title=Anthony Foxx resigns as mayor, Patsy Kinsey named new mayor| access-date=December 9, 2013| archive-date=December 11, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211225958/http://www.wbtv.com/story/22724420/opening-up-the-process-to-find-interim-mayor| url-status=live}}

Foxx prepared and advocated for the Obama administration's first surface transportation bill, the Grow America Act, in 2014,{{cite web|url=https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/this-week-in-infrastructure-white-house-offers-bill-to-grow-america/|title=This Week in Infrastructure: White House offers bill to grow America|date=May 2, 2014|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=April 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426075752/https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/this-week-in-infrastructure-white-house-offers-bill-to-grow-america/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ttnews.com/articles/foxx-ends-bus-tour-asking-people-send-congress-picture-pothole|title=Foxx Ends Bus Tour by Asking People to Send Congress 'Picture of a Pothole'|date=February 20, 2015|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=April 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426080126/http://www.ttnews.com/articles/foxx-ends-bus-tour-asking-people-send-congress-picture-pothole|url-status=live}} and worked to get its congressional incarnation, the FAST Act, passed.{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/policy/finance/262171-obama-signs-305b-highway-bill/|title=Obama signs $305B highway bill|first=Ben|last=Goad|date=December 4, 2015|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=May 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503185731/http://thehill.com/policy/finance/262171-obama-signs-305b-highway-bill|url-status=live}} He consolidated the department's financing programs and accelerated permitting policies.{{cite web|url=https://www.americanshipper.com/main/news/martin-klepper-to-lead-usdot-build-america-bureau-66400.aspx|title=Martin Klepper to lead USDOT Build America Bureau|date=March 2, 2019|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=April 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426144247/https://www.americanshipper.com/main/news/martin-klepper-to-lead-usdot-build-america-bureau-66400.aspx|url-status=live}} Foxx also put forth new rules governing the commercial use of drones,{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/29/491818988/faa-expects-600-000-commercial-drones-in-the-air-within-a-year|title=FAA Expects 600,000 Commercial Drones In The Air Within A Year|website=NPR|date=August 29, 2016 |access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=April 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426075859/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/29/491818988/faa-expects-600-000-commercial-drones-in-the-air-within-a-year|url-status=live|last1=Selyukh |first1=Alina }} blueprinted a comprehensive national policy on autonomous vehicles,{{cite web|url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/us-dot-unveils-worlds-first-autonomous-vehicle-policy-ushering-in-age-of-driverless-cars/|title=US DOT unveils 'world's first autonomous vehicle policy,' ushering in age of driverless cars|date=September 20, 2016 |access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=April 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426080219/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/us-dot-unveils-worlds-first-autonomous-vehicle-policy-ushering-in-age-of-driverless-cars/|url-status=live}} and launched the Department's first Smart City Challenge, engaging more than 70 cities to develop their own strategies to incorporate new technologies into their transportation networks.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/dougnewcomb/2016/06/24/transportation-secretary-foxx-on-why-columbus-ohio-won-the-dots-40-million-smart-city-challenge/#6c4883f645db|title=Transportation Secretary Foxx On Why Columbus, Ohio Won The DOT's $40 Million Smart City Challenge|first=Doug|last=Newcomb|work=Forbes|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=April 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426080629/https://www.forbes.com/sites/dougnewcomb/2016/06/24/transportation-secretary-foxx-on-why-columbus-ohio-won-the-dots-40-million-smart-city-challenge/#6c4883f645db|url-status=live}}

Foxx was the designated survivor for the 2015 State of the Union Address on January 20, 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2015/01/20/obama-designated-survivor-state-of-the-union-ernest-moniz-sally-jewell/22051655/|date=January 20, 2015|title=Obama's 'designated survivor:' Anthony Foxx|work=USA Today|access-date=November 3, 2017|archive-date=September 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905191355/https://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2015/01/20/obama-designated-survivor-state-of-the-union-ernest-moniz-sally-jewell/22051655/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Jackson|first=David|title=O|url=http://www.nationaljournal.com/white-house/if-the-worst-happens-at-the-state-of-the-union-anthony-foxx-will-lead-the-country-20150120|publisher=NationalJournal|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=January 20, 2015|archive-date=January 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121035156/http://www.nationaljournal.com/white-house/if-the-worst-happens-at-the-state-of-the-union-anthony-foxx-will-lead-the-country-20150120|url-status=dead}}

Foxx joined Lyft in October 2018 as the company's chief policy officer.{{cite web | url=https://blog.lyft.com/posts/2018/10/9/anthony-foxx-secretary-of-transportation-under-president-obama-joins-lyft | title=Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation Under President Obama, Joins Lyft | publisher=Lyft | date=July 15, 2013 | access-date=May 13, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220045846/https://blog.lyft.com/posts/2018/10/9/anthony-foxx-secretary-of-transportation-under-president-obama-joins-lyft | archive-date=February 20, 2019 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }} In that role, he advocated for California's Proposition 22, which excluded gig workers from receiving benefits like minimum wage, health care and the right to organize, which are normally afforded to employees.{{Cite web |last=Rodrigo |first=Chris Mills |date=2020-11-08 |title=Uber, Lyft eager to take California labor win nationwide |url=https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/524908-uber-lyft-eager-to-take-california-labor-win-nationwide/ |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}} He stepped down from the chief policy officer role in October 2021, but he remained with Lyft as a senior advisor.{{Cite web |last=Oprysko |first=Caitlin |title=Foxx stepping back at Lyft |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2021/10/27/foxx-stepping-back-at-lyft-798499 |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}

In 2022, it was reported that Foxx was under consideration to lead the White House Office of Public Engagement.{{Cite web |last=Hans |first=Nichols |date=2022-05-04 |title=Scoop: Biden eyes Anthony Foxx for top White House role |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/05/05/biden-considers-anthony-foxx-top-role |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=Axios}} However, former mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms was ultimately chosen for the role instead.{{Cite web |last=McCammond |first=Alexi |date=2022-06-15 |title=Scoop: Keisha Lance Bottoms to join White House |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/06/15/keisha-lance-bottoms-biden-cedric-richmond |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=Axios |quote="As Axios previously reported, Biden had at one point been considering former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx as Richmond's successor."}}

Foxx joined the faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University's school of public policy and government, in September 2023 as Emma Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership.{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Susan A. |date=2023-09-19 |title=Anthony Foxx: Pushing cities and the technology community to think about how to help solve public problems |url=https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/cities-communities/anthony-foxx-pushing-cities-and-technology |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=www.hks.harvard.edu |language=en}} In January 2024, it was announced that Foxx would succeed former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick as co-director of the Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership. He is set to take over the role in July 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-23 |title=New leadership for HKS's Center for Public Leadership |url=https://www.hks.harvard.edu/announcements/new-leadership-hkss-center-public-leadership |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=www.hks.harvard.edu |language=en}}

Foxx is married to Samara Ryder, who is also an attorney. They have a daughter and a son.{{cite web | url=http://www.dot.gov/secretary | title=Meet the Secretary | publisher=United States Department of Transportation | date=July 15, 2013 | access-date=July 9, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715100720/http://www.dot.gov/secretary | archive-date=July 15, 2013 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}

• List of African-American United States Cabinet members

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130715100720/http://www.dot.gov/secretary Secretary Foxx at USDOT]
• {{Official website|http://www.anthonyfoxx.com/}}
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Category:1971 births

Category:21st-century mayors of places in North Carolina

Category:African-American mayors in North Carolina

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