Noah Mamet

Mamet was born to a Jewish father and an Irish Catholic mother in Manhattan Beach, California. He attended Mira Costa High School.{{Cite web|url=https://miracostaalumni.com/hall-of-fame/|title=Hall Of Fame {{!}} Mira Costa High School Alumni|website=miracostaalumni.com|access-date=2020-01-22|archive-date=2022-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013114344/https://miracostaalumni.com/hall-of-fame/|url-status=dead}} In 1992, he graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/1.629776#! Haaretz: "Obama fundraiser Noah Mamet appointed U.S. envoy to Argentina - Mamet, a fundraiser for Democratic causes, has been confirmed to the Argentinian envoy post, despite having never visited the country"] December 3, 2014

At age 21, Mamet entered politics by working on the 1992 U.S. Senate primary bid by onetime U.S. Rep. Mel Levine.{{cite web |url=http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/137388/noah-mamet-nominated-as-us-ambassador |title=Noah Mamet nominated as US ambassador |work=Buenos Aires Herald |date=2013-08-01 |access-date=2017-02-21}} He also worked for the California Democratic Party helping with Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign in Santa Barbara County. From 1995 until 2003, Mamet worked for onetime U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt while he was House Democratic leader as a senior advisor and national finance director.{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/30/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts|title=President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts |date=2013-07-30 |via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|access-date=2017-02-21}} Mamet also worked on Gephardt's 2004 presidential bid.

In 2004, he founded Noah Mamet and Associates, a business and political consulting firm with offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

In 2007, Mamet served on the international delegation for the National Democratic Institute to monitor elections in Sierra Leone. He also has served as an adviser to the Wasserman Family Foundation in Los Angeles.

Mamet raised $3,200,000 for then President Barack Obama's reelection campaign in 2012.http://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/5-FY2014/F-2013-12853/DOC_0C05521180/C05521180.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219023515/http://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/5-FY2014/F-2013-12853/DOC_0C05521180/C05521180.pdf |date=2014-12-19 }} {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}} He is a member of the National Jewish Democratic Council.[http://www.jta.org/2014/12/03/news-opinion/united-states/senate-approves-dem-fundraiser-noah-mamet-as-u-s-envoy-to-argentina Jewish Telegraph: "Dems fundraiser Noah Mamet confirmed as U.S. envoy to Argentina"] December 3, 2014

In 2018, Mamet purchased a vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina and began producing wine under the name 'Gran Diplomat Wines.'{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://grandiplomatwines.com/our-story |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=Gran Diplomat Wines |language=en-US}} In November 2023 he opened Canopy Wine Lounge in Palm Springs, California.{{Cite web |last=Admin |date=2023-12-20 |title=Canopy Wine Lounge Officially Opens in The Heart of Palm Springs: An Oasis of Elegance Featuring Exceptional Wines from Around the World & Much More! |url=https://coachellavalleyweekly.com/canopy-wine-lounge-officially-opens-in-the-heart-of-palm-springs-an-oasis-of-elegance-featuring-exceptional-wines-from-around-the-world-much-more/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Coachella Valley Weekly |language=en-US}}

On July 30, 2013, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Mamet to be the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina. This received criticism from certain political figures, who criticized the fact that Memet had never been to Argentina and contended that he was nominated to the position because of his role in fundraising for Obama.{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/02/5-most-cringe-worthy-blunders-from-obamas-ambassador-nominees/|title=5 Most Cringe-Worthy Blunders From Obama's Ambassador Nominees|author=ABC News|work=ABC News}} On July 31, 2013, Obama formally nominated Mamet to the post.{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/31/presidential-nominations-sent-senate|via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|title=Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate|date=31 July 2013 }} Mamet's nomination languished for months after his United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.

On June 24, 2014, the Senate's foreign relations committee voted to forward Mamet's nomination to the full Senate.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ntquery/z?nomis:113PN0113300{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}: On November 20, 2014, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed for cloture on Mamet's nomination.

On December 1, 2014, the U.S. Senate voted 50–36 for cloture on Mamet's nomination, thereby ending a Republican-led filibuster of his nomination.{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/225642-senate-advances-nominations-of-obama-bundlers/|title=Senate advances nominations of Obama bundlers|work=TheHill|date=December 2014 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=2&vote=00291|title=U.S. Senate: Roll Call Vote|date=27 January 2015|work=senate.gov}} On December 2, 2014, the Senate confirmed Mamet in a 50–43 vote and he was sworn in on December 10, 2014.{{cite web|url=https://ar.usembassy.gov/ambassador-mamet-sworn-in-by-vp-biden/?_ga=1.41193954.1112971466.1461072220|title=Ambassador Mamet Sworn in by VP Biden|work=US Embassy|date=10 December 2014 }} He arrived in Argentina on January 16, 2015, and presented his credentials that same day.{{cite web | url=http://www.telam.com.ar/notas/201501/92683-timerman-recibio-al-nuevo-embajador-de-estados-unidos.html|archivedate=2019-02-09|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20190209050817/https://www.telam.com.ar/notas/201501/92683-timerman-recibio-al-nuevo-embajador-de-estados-unidos.html| title=Timerman recibió al nuevo embajador de Estados Unidos| date=January 21, 2015|language=Spanish | publisher=Télam| access-date=January 29, 2015}}

As Ambassador, Mamet stated his desire to build connections between the US and Argentina through science, technology, energy and student exchange.{{cite web|url=http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1929338-noah-mamet-necesitamos-que-la-argentina-triunfe|title=Noah Mamet: "Necesitamos que la Argentina triunfe". Loreley Gaffoglio|date=August 21, 2016|publisher=La Nación Revista|language=Spanish|access-date=October 27, 2016}}

In December 2015, the US Embassy in Argentina inaugurated its system of 72 solar panels, the first such installation at a U.S. Embassy worldwide.{{cite web|url=https://ar.usembassy.gov/embassys-commitment-with-the-environment/?_ga=1.119401358.682657768.1369846239|title=Embassy's commitment with the environment|work=US Embassy|date=11 December 2015 }} Also in 2015, the Fulbright Commission created the "Friends of Fulbright" scholarship program. The program gives Argentine undergraduate students a short-term opportunity to attend classes at an accredited U.S. university, and is designed for students who cannot afford the costs of an exchange program.{{cite web|url=https://ar.usembassy.gov/embassy/embassy-programs/friends-of-fulbright/|title=Friends of Fulbright Scholarship|work=US Embassy|access-date=2016-10-14|archive-date=2016-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018210748/https://ar.usembassy.gov/embassy/embassy-programs/friends-of-fulbright/|url-status=dead}}

After Mamet's resignation of his position, Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra presented Mamet with the Order of the Liberator General San Martín, the highest decoration of the Argentine Republic.{{Cite news |url=http://www.politicargentina.com/notas/201701/18791-malcorra-condecoro-al-embajador-de-estados-unidos-con-la-orden-del-libertador-san-martin.html |title=Malcorra condecoró al embajador de Estados Unidos con la Orden del Libertador San Martín |date=January 10, 2017 |work=Política Argentina |access-date=May 25, 2017 |language=Spanish |trans-title=Malcorra decorated the United States ambassador with the Order of the Liberator San Martín}}

In 2017, Mamet joined the advisory board of H Code Media, a digital advertising platform reaching U.S. Hispanic consumers.{{Cite news |url=https://www.portada-online.com/2017/10/23/changing-places-noah-mamet-maria-bernal-norberto-zylberberg/ |title=CHANGING PLACES: Noah Mamet, Carlos Aviles, María Bernal |date=October 23, 2017}}

After his appointment as U.S. ambassador to Argentina, Mamet was criticized for being part of a group of nominated "ambassadors that raised six-figure sums" for President Obama's 2012 reelection campaign, including by websites such as The Washington Examiner and The Huffington Post.{{cite news|author1=Susan Crabtree|author-link=Susan Crabtree|title=Obama under fire for big-money ambassador nominees|url=http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obama-under-fire-for-big-money-ambassador-nominees/article/2545646|access-date=29 April 2016|work=The Washington Examiner|date=March 14, 2014}}{{cite news|last1=Lachman|first1=Samantha|title=Obama Nominee For Ambassador To Argentina Has Never Actually Been There|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/07/ambassador-argentina-nominee_n_4747108.html|access-date=29 April 2016|work=The Huffington Post|date=February 7, 2014}}

In December 2013, BuzzFeed reported that Mamet's nomination as ambassador to Argentina was "met with surprise, and in some cases anger, by his peers in the donor class. Democratic Party donors complain privately that Mamet unfairly leveraged his clients' work for his own political gain and benefited from a close personal relationship with President Obama's campaign manager, Jim Messina."{{cite news|last1=Cramer|first1=Ruby|title=Ambassador Appointment Draws Ire Inside Democratic Donor Class|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/ambassador-appointment-draws-ire-inside-democratic-donor-cla|access-date=29 April 2016|work=BuzzFeed|date=December 18, 2013}} A group of retired United States Foreign Service officers have since called for an end to the practice of appointing political contributors and supporters as ambassadors.{{cite news|title=Retired U.S. diplomats call for end to political ambassador appointees|url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/02/14/Retired-US-diplomats-call-for-end-to-political-ambassador-appointees/70481392410563/|access-date=29 April 2016|work=United Press International|date=February 14, 2014}} Mamet has also been criticized for lack of "major diplomatic experience" and not visiting Argentina prior to his nomination.{{cite web |work = Huffington Post Club |title = So-called Ambassador Noah B Mamet is Unfit to Represent the United States |url = http://hpub.org/so-called-ambassador-noah-b-mamet-is-unfit-to-represent-the-united-states/ |access-date = 2016-04-29 |archive-date = 2016-02-20 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160220152426/http://hpub.org/so-called-ambassador-noah-b-mamet-is-unfit-to-represent-the-united-states/ |url-status = dead }}

In 2014, fifteen former presidents of the State Department Employees Union (AFSA) made an official request to reject Mamet's nomination to ambassadorship, which also included George Tsunis (for Norway) and Colleen Bell (for Hungary), because "they showed limited knowledge of the countries to which they'd been nominated" at their Senate committee hearings.{{cite news|author1=Al Kamen|title=Foreign Service leaders ask Senate to reject Obama nominees|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2014/03/10/foreign-service-leaders-ask-senate-to-reject-obama-nominees/|access-date=29 April 2016|work=The Washington Post |date=March 10, 2014}}

AFSA issued a letter to the U.S. State Department urging it to "oppose granting of Senate consent to these three candidates."{{cite news|author1=Santiago del Carril|author2=Tomás Brockenshire|title=Former US diplomats challenge Mamet pick|url=http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/153874/|access-date=29 April 2016|work=Buenos Aires Herald|date=March 8, 2014|archive-date=9 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309123726/http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/153874/|url-status=dead}} The letter was the first of its kind, which set a new historical precedent to ambassadorial designations in the U.S.

Mamet has been a resident of Marina del Rey, California. He is not married and has no children.{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2014-06-24/html/CREC-2014-06-24-pt1-PgS3935-2.htm|title=Congressional Record, Volume 160 Issue 99 (Tuesday, June 24, 2014)|work=gpo.gov}}

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Category:1969 births

Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Argentina

Category:20th-century American Jews

Category:Living people

Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni

Category:People from Manhattan Beach, California

Category:People from Marina del Rey, California

Category:Recipients of the Order of the Liberator General San Martin

Category:21st-century American Jews

Category:21st-century American diplomats

Category:Mira Costa High School alumni