Editing Clayton Yeutter (section)

==Professional career==
Yeutter began his professional political career as the [[chief of staff]] to the [[governor of Nebraska]] in January 1967. During the following two years he managed coordination between the governor's office and the Department of Agriculture and the numerous state educational institutions. Additionally, he was responsible for lobbying Governor [[Norbert T. Tiemann|Norbert Tiemann]]'s legislative program through the [[Nebraska legislature]]. In September 1968 Yeutter left public service to become the Director of the University of Nebraska Mission in Colombia. At the time it was the largest agricultural technical assistance program in the world. The mission involved six Midwestern land-grant universities funded by [[United States Agency for International Development|U.S. AID]], the [[Kellogg Foundation]] and the [[Ford Foundation]]. The participating universities provided agricultural assistance to the [[National University of Colombia]] and the Colombian Agricultural Institute, which approximated the [[United States Department of Agriculture]].

After returning from Colombia, Yeutter served as Administrator of Consumer and Marketing Service within the [[U.S. Department of Agriculture]] from October 1970 until December 1971. In January 1972 Yeutter was assigned to two positions in the reelection campaign of President [[Richard Nixon]]. He served as the nationwide director of agriculture and as one of ten regional directors. Following Nixon's reelection, Yeutter was appointed to Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Consumer Services within the U.S. Department of Agriculture in January 1973. In March 1974 Yeutter was appointed [[Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services|Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for International Affairs and Commodity Programs]]. As Assistant Secretary, Yeutter was in charge of negotiating an end to a trade war between the United States and the [[European Economic Community]] over cheese subsidizes.<ref name="greenhouse">{{cite news|last=Greenhouse|first=Steven|title=A Tough Trade Negotiator|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/04/business/man-in-the-news-a-tough-trade-negotiator.html?scp=28&sq=clayton+yeutter&st=nyt|access-date=May 1, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 4, 1985}}</ref>

In June 1975 Yeutter shifted from the Department of Agriculture to the [[Executive branch of the United States#Executive branch|Executive Office of the President]], in which he served as Deputy Special Trade Representative. In this position, Yeutter worked as an ambassador in trade negotiations with foreign countries. In February 1977, shortly after [[Gerald Ford]] vacated the presidency, Yeutter exited public service.

In April 1977 Yeutter became a senior partner at the law firm Nelson, Harding, Yeutter & Leonard, which was primarily located in [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]], [[Nebraska]]. He continued to work at the firm until June 1978.

Yeutter served as president and [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] of the [[Chicago Mercantile Exchange]], the world's second-largest [[futures exchange]] at the time, from July 1978 until June 1985. During that period, the trade volume of agricultural, currency, and interest rate futures more than tripled. While serving as president, Yeutter negotiated the use of the [[Tokyo Stock Exchange]] index for futures and options trading. He also encouraged European investors to invest in currency futures and options at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.<ref name="greenhouse" /> More than 400 visits to the exchange by members of Congress during Yeutter's tenure provided him with political experience that which would become especially valuable when he worked directly with Congress between 1985 and 1993.

===United States Trade Representative===
After working for eight years in the private sector, Yeutter returned to public office in July 1985. After Reagan's nomination, Yeutter was confirmed by the Senate as [[Office of the United States Trade Representative|U.S. Trade Representative]] on June 28, 1985. He succeeded [[Bill Brock|William E. Brock]], who was named [[United States Secretary of Labor|Secretary of Labor]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Nation |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-28-fi-1573-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=June 28, 1985 |access-date=June 2, 2011}}</ref> While holding the position Yeutter helped pass the 1988 Trade Bill through Congress, completed the [[Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement]], managed the initial negotiations regarding the [[Uruguay Round]] of the [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]] and used American trade laws to open foreign markets to American goods.<ref name="nyt-19881215" />

Yeutter was perceived to be an outsider because of his inexperience interacting with Congress to develop legislation and because he was only mildly acquainted with the President. These characteristics contrasted with his 11 predecessors, who possessed greater political credentials and a closer relationship to the President. In fact, Yeutter argued that his independence from Reagan reflected his success in the position.<ref name="nyt-19880929">{{cite news|last=Farnsworth|first=Clyde H.|title=Negotiating New Directions for American Trade|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/29/us/washington-talk-working-profile-clayton-k-yeutter-negotiating-new-directions-for.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|access-date=April 30, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 29, 1988}}</ref>

Along with the Commerce Secretary, [[Malcolm Baldrige, Jr.|Malcolm Baldrige]], and Treasury Secretary, [[James Baker]], Yeutter was accredited with the formulation of a comprehensive US trade policy after his first 4 months in office.<ref name="nyt-19880929"/><ref name="farnsworth1985">Canada. Legislative Assembly. "[http://qp.gov.bc.ca/CMT/36thParl/mai/hansard/t12_1002.htm Special Committee on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706165111/http://qp.gov.bc.ca/CMT/36thParl/mai/hansard/t12_1002.htm |date=July 6, 2011 }}". October 2, 1998.</ref> At this point in time the Reagan administration was faced with mounting pressure from the Congress for protectionist policy that would tackle the mounting international trade deficit.<ref>{{cite news |title=Reagan to Nominate Yeutter for Trade Post |author=Ruby Abramson |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-04-03-fi-28637-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=April 3, 1985 |access-date=June 2, 2011}}</ref> Additionally, Yeutter faced tense trade negotiations with Japan. In June 1985 Yeutter initiated an investigation based on [[Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974|Section 301]] of the [[1974 Trade Act]] against Japan for unfair barriers to sale of American electronic products.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yeutter began a computer chip investigation |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-07-15-fi-7747-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=July 15, 1985 |access-date=June 2, 2011}}</ref> In October Yeutter took similar action against South Korea based on a complaint filed by the [[Motion Picture Association of America|MPAA]]. The unfair trade practices outlined in the complaint were exacerbated by at $4 billion trade deficit with South Korea during the previous year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Probe Likely On Korea's Film Curbs |author=Penny Pagano |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-10-25-ca-14424-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 25, 1985 |access-date=June 2, 2011}}</ref>

On February 3, 1987, while discussing the [[Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement]] at a [[Brookings Institution]] seminar, Yeutter was quoted as saying the agreement would risk the loss of Canadian culture.<ref name="farnsworth-19870214">{{cite news|last=Farnsworth|first=Clyde H.|title=A Trade War Veteran With Tales to Tell|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/14/us/washington-talk-working-profile-clayton-k-yeutter-trade-war-veteran-with-tales.html?scp=2&sq=clayton+yeutter&st=nyt|access-date=April 30, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 14, 1987}}</ref> The statement reflected the Canadian public concern that the free trade agreement would lead to unprecedented American economic and cultural dominance. Although the comment was not notable in the United States, it produced considerable controversy in Canada. In response to the comment [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Brian Mulroney]] stated in the [[Parliament of Canada|Canadian Parliament]] that "his remarks showed a stunning ignorance of Canada".<ref name="nyt-19881215" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Mulroney blasts U.S. envoy|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mb0gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s2kFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1086,477732&dq=yeutter&hl=en|access-date=July 18, 2011|newspaper=The Lewiston Journal|date=February 5, 1987}}</ref>

===Secretary of Agriculture===
[[File:President Bush shares the podium with Secretary Yeutter at a briefing of the National Association of Agricultural Journalists in the Indian Treaty Room of the White House.jpg|thumb|left|President Bush and Yeutter at a briefing of the National Association of Agricultural Journalists, in 1990.]]
Yeutter served as [[United States Secretary of Agriculture|Secretary of Agriculture]] under [[George H. W. Bush]] from February 1989 until February 1991. His nomination was approved by the [[United States Senate|Senate]] on February 9, 1989.<ref>{{cite news|title=Senate Approves Yeutter|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/09/us/senate-approves-yeutter.html?scp=19&sq=clayton+yeutter&st=nyt|access-date=May 1, 2011|newspaper=Reuters|date=February 9, 1989}}</ref> Yeutter was slightly reluctant to take this new position after enduring the fast pace of United States trade policy, but his fondness for agricultural issues overcame that sentiment.<ref name="nyt-19881215" />

When he took office Yeutter's primary concern was the quinquennial [[United States farm bill|farm bill]]. The previous bill was passed in 1985 and had focused on providing financial support to American farmers. During the early 1980s, a high rate of bankruptcy among farmers prompted the federal government to provide unprecedented subsidies through the [[Food Security Act of 1985]]. The development of what was to become the [[Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990]] was largely influenced by [[Uruguay Round]] negotiations, which Yeutter led as USTR.<ref name="nyt-19881215" /> 
Additionally, the 1990 farm bill removed [[Farm subsidy#United States|United States farm subsidies]] created in the 1985 bill.

===Republican National Committee Chairman===
In January 1991 Yeutter took the place of [[Lee Atwater]] as [[Republican National Committee#Chairmen and Chairwomen of the Republican National Committee|Chairman]] of the [[Republican National Committee]]. Yeutter was elected after George H. W. Bush's first choice for chairman, [[William Bennett]], revoked his initial acceptance of the position due to a potential conflict of interest. The protracted and turbulent process of finding a successor to Atwater was used by Democrats to characterize the Republican party as a fractured organization.<ref>{{cite news|last=Toner|first=Robin|title=On 2d Try, Bush Is Likely to Pick Agriculture Chief to Head G.O.P|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/05/us/on-2d-try-bush-is-likely-to-pick-agriculture-chief-to-head-gop.html?scp=31&sq=clayton+yeutter&st=nyt|access-date=May 1, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 5, 1991}}</ref> Yeutter's "substantive" leadership style and belief that "good guys finished first, not last," created doubt among some members of the Republican party who preferred Atwater's more hard-edge political style.<ref>{{cite news|last=Toner|first=Robin|title=Yeutter Steps In and Atwater Gets a New Post|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/26/us/yeutter-steps-in-and-atwater-gets-a-new-post.html?scp=8&sq=clayton+yeutter&st=nyt|access-date=May 1, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 26, 1991}}</ref>

Atwater's illness prevented the Committee from functioning normally. Before Yeutter was selected, fundraising had dropped off substantially and about 25% of staff had been laid off. Once he was elected, Yeutter focused on stabilizing the level of fundraising and winning the nationwide [[Redistricting|redistricting battles]] during 1991.

===Counselor to the President===
On January 31, 1992, President [[George H. W. Bush]] named Yeutter as counselor to the president for domestic policy. Yeutter was replaced by [[Richard Bond (RNC)|Richard Bond]] as [[Republican National Committee#Chairmen and Chairwomen of the Republican National Committee|Chairman]] of the [[Republican National Committee]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Bush Moves to Shift RNC Leadership; Yeutter Gets New Post; Longtime Aide Bond Due to Replace Him |author=Ann Devroy; David S. Broder |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 1, 2011 }}</ref> The cabinet-level position was left vacant since [[Edwin Meese III]] held the post under [[Ronald Reagan]]. Unlike Meese's post, Yeutter had additional control over the Bush administration's economic and domestic councils, which formed the cabinet's policy-making apparatus. The additional control was initially opposed by [[Treasury Secretary]] [[Nicholas F. Brady]], who led the economic policy council.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yeutter Offered Top Bush Policy Post As White House Retools for Campaign |author=Ann Devroy |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 25, 1992 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Skinner Still Courting Yeutter for Domestic Policy Post |author=[[Ann Devroy]] |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 31, 1992 }}</ref>