Mickey Kantor

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Mickey Kantor

|image = MichaelKantor (cropped).jpg

|office = 31st United States Secretary of Commerce

|president = Bill Clinton

|term_start = April 12, 1996

|term_end = January 21, 1997

|predecessor = Ron Brown

|successor = Bill Daley

|office1 = 11th United States Trade Representative

|president1 = Bill Clinton

|term_start1 = January 22, 1993

|term_end1 = April 12, 1996

|predecessor1 = Carla Hills

|successor1 = Charlene Barshefsky

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1939|8|7}}

|birth_place = Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Democratic

|spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Valerie Woods||1978|end=d}}
{{marriage|Heidi Schulman|1982}}

}}

|children = 4

|branch = {{flag|United States Navy}}

|education = Vanderbilt University (BA)
Georgetown University (JD)

}}

Michael Kantor (born August 7, 1939) is an American attorney who served as the United States Trade Representative from 1993 to 1996 and United States Secretary of Commerce in 1996 and 1997.

Early life and education

Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Kantor comes from a family of Jewish furniture retailers led by his parents, including his father, Henry Kantor.{{Cite web |title=Kantor, Michael |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/kantor-michael |publisher=Jewish Virtual Library |access-date=2024-11-02}} Kantor earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business and economics from Vanderbilt University in 1961. He then served four years as a supply officer in the United States Navy and subsequently earned a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University in 1968.{{Cite news|last=Bradsher|first=Keith|date=1993-12-12|title=Mickey Kantor|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/12/magazine/mickey-kantor.html|access-date=2021-04-04|issn=0362-4331}}

Career

File:Photograph of President William J. Clinton and U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor - NARA - 2174698.jpg in 1993]]

Initially, Kantor worked for the Legal Services Corporation, providing legal assistance to migrant farm workers. From 1976 to 1993, he practiced law with the Los Angeles law firm of Manatt, Phelps, Phillips & Kantor (now Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP), and was active in Democratic politics and fundraising. He formerly served and is founder of the LA Conservation Corps.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lacorps.org/about/history-founder/|title=LA Conservation Corps » History & Founder|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-19|archive-date=2020-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028121948/https://www.lacorps.org/about/history-founder/|url-status=dead}}

An advocate of free trade, Kantor, as Trade Representative, led U.S. negotiations that created the World Trade Organization (WTO), such as the Uruguay Round, and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Kantor also engaged in organizing the Miami Summit of the Americas and three meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, including the U.S.-hosted First Leaders' Meeting. With the European Commission of the newly formed European Union, he expanded the trans-Atlantic market.

Kantor became United States Secretary of Commerce on April 12, 1996, succeeding Ron Brown, who had been killed in the 1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash.{{Cite web |date=1996-04-13 |title=Clinton Picks Kantor to Head Commerce Dept. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-13-mn-58111-story.html |access-date=2024-08-18 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

Kantor practices law in the Los Angeles office of Mayer Brown,{{cite web|url=http://www.mayerbrown.com/people/Michael-Kantor/|title=Michael Kantor - People - Mayer Brown|access-date=24 April 2017|archive-date=19 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519064055/https://www.mayerbrown.com/people/michael-kantor/|url-status=dead}} an international law firm based in Chicago. He is the board of directors co-chair of Vision to Learn{{Cite web|url=https://visiontolearn.org/about/leadership/|title=Leadership|date=2020-02-19|website=www.visiontolearn.org}} and the University of Southern California Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy;{{Cite web|url=https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/about/advisory-board/|title=Advisory Board {{!}} USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy|website=communicationleadership.usc.edu|access-date=2020-02-19}} a board officer of Drug Strategies;{{Cite news|url=https://www.drugstrategies.com/home/board-of-directors/michael-kantor/|title=Michael Kantor|date=2014-04-13|work=Drug Strategies|access-date=2020-02-19|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-02-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219214738/https://www.drugstrategies.com/home/board-of-directors/michael-kantor/|url-status=dead}} a leadership council member of the Sargent Shriver Center on Poverty Law;{{Cite web|url=https://www.povertylaw.org/about-us/board-departments/|title=Boards and Councils|website=Shriver Center on Poverty Law|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-19}} a steering committee member of Japan House;{{Cite web|url=https://www.japanhouse.jp/losangeles/aboutus/index.html|title=The Global Japan House Project|website=JAPAN HOUSE(Los Angeles)|language=en|access-date=2020-02-19}} and a board member of Lexmark International, Inc.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lexmark.com/en_us/about/company/board-of-directors.html|title=Board of Directors|website=www.lexmark.com|language=en|access-date=2020-02-19}} and the Pacific Council on International Policy.{{cite web|url=https://www.pacificcouncil.org/about/leadership/board|title=Leadership|date=2020-02-19|publisher=Pacific Council on International Policy}}

Personal life and honors

Kantor has been married to broadcast journalist Heidi Schulman since 1982, following the death of his first wife, Valerie Woods Kantor in a 1978 plane crash in San Diego."In Memoriam." From The Classes. Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY. March, 1979. p. 30. He has three children. Another son, Russell, died in a single-car crash in October, 1988, while a senior in high school.{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-10-30-me-907-story.html |title=Son of Activist Kantor, 3 Others Killed in Crash |date=30 October 1988 |work=Los Angeles Times }}.

He formerly served on the board of directors of CBRE,{{Cite web |title=CBRE Group, Inc. - Leadership - Board of Directors |url=https://ir.cbre.com/leadership/board-of-directors/default.aspx |access-date=2020-02-19 |website=ir.cbre.com}} board of visitors for Georgetown Law,{{Cite web |title=Members of the Board of Visitors |url=https://www.law.georgetown.edu/alumni/alumni-leadership/board-of-visitors/members/ |access-date=2020-02-19 |website=www.law.georgetown.edu |language=en-US}} and international advisory board for FleishmanHillard.{{Cite web |title=International Advisory Board {{!}} FleishmanHillard |url=https://fleishmanhillard.com/about/iab/ |access-date=2020-02-19 |website=FleishmanHillard |language=en-US}} Kantor was awarded the Order of the Southern Cross by the government of Brazil in 2001.{{Cite web |date=September 12, 2012 |title=Mickey Kantor |url=https://asiasociety.org/files/uploads/286files/Mickey%20Kantor%20Bio.pdf |website=Asia Society}}