Editing Mickey Kantor

{{short description|American politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = Mickey Kantor
|image        = MichaelKantor.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    = [[William M. Daley|Bill Daley]]
|office1      = 11th [[United States Trade Representative]]
|president1   = [[Bill Clinton]]
|term_start1  = January 22, 1993
|term_end1    = April 12, 1996
|predecessor1 = [[Carla Anderson Hills|Carla Hills]]
|successor1   = [[Charlene Barshefsky]]
|birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1939|8|7}}
|birth_place  = [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Tennessee]], [[United States|U.S.]]
|death_date   = 
|death_place  = 
|party        = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|spouse       = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Valerie Woods||1978|end=d}}
* {{marriage|Heidi Schulman|1982}}
}}
|children     = 4
|branch = {{flag|United States Navy}}
|education    = [[Vanderbilt University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Georgetown University]] ([[Juris Doctor|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.<ref name="JewishVirtualLibrary">{{Cite web |title=Kantor, Michael |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/kantor-michael |publisher=[[Jewish Virtual Library]] |access-date=2024-11-02}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

== Career ==
[[File:Photograph of President William J. Clinton and U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor - NARA - 2174698.jpg|thumb|left|Kantor with President [[Bill Clinton]] 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

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]].<ref>{{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}}</ref>

Kantor practices law in the Los Angeles office of [[Mayer Brown]],<ref name="mayerbrown.com">{{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}}</ref> an international law firm based in Chicago. He is the board of directors co-chair of [[Vision to Learn]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://visiontolearn.org/about/leadership/|title=Leadership|date=2020-02-19|website=www.visiontolearn.org}}</ref> and the [[University of Southern California]] [[Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy]];<ref>{{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}}</ref> a board officer of [[Drug Strategies]];<ref>{{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}}</ref> a leadership council member of the [[Sargent Shriver]] Center on Poverty Law;<ref>{{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}}</ref> a steering committee member of Japan House;<ref>{{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}}</ref> and a board member of [[Lexmark|Lexmark International, Inc.]]<ref>{{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}}</ref> and the [[Pacific Council on International Policy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pacificcouncil.org/about/leadership/board|title=Leadership|date=2020-02-19|publisher=Pacific Council on International Policy}}</ref>

== 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 [[PSA Flight 182|plane crash]] in [[San Diego]].<ref>"In Memoriam." ''From The Classes''. Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY. March, 1979. p. 30.</ref><ref name="LA Times" /> He has three children. Another son, Russell, died in a single-car crash in October, 1988, while a senior in high school.<ref name="LA Times">{{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 }}.</ref>

He formerly served on the board of directors of [[CBRE Group|CBRE]],<ref>{{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}}</ref> board of visitors for [[Georgetown University Law Center|Georgetown Law]],<ref>{{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}}</ref> and international advisory board for [[FleishmanHillard]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Advisory Board {{!}} FleishmanHillard |url=https://fleishmanhillard.com/about/iab/ |access-date=2020-02-19 |website=FleishmanHillard |language=en-US}}</ref> Kantor was awarded the [[Order of the Southern Cross]] by the government of [[Brazil]] in 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 12, 2012 |title=Mickey Kantor |url=https://asiasociety.org/files/uploads/286files/Mickey%20Kantor%20Bio.pdf |website=[[Asia Society]]}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Jewish United States Cabinet members]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
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*{{C-SPAN|25393}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Carla Anderson Hills|Carla Hills]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Office of the United States Trade Representative|United States Trade Representative]]|years=1993–1996}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charlene Barshefsky]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Ron Brown]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Secretary of Commerce]]|years=1996–1997}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William M. Daley|Bill Daley]]}}
|-
{{s-prec|usa}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Dan Glickman]]|as=Former US Cabinet Member}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States order of precedence|Order of precedence of the United States]]<br>''{{small|as Former US Cabinet Member}}''|years=}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William Cohen]]|as=Former US Cabinet Member}}
{{s-end}}

{{USSecCommerce}}
{{USTR}}
{{Clinton cabinet}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kantor, Mickey}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:Clinton administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:20th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:American corporate directors]]
[[Category:Georgetown University Law Center alumni]]
[[Category:Jewish members of the Cabinet of the United States]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Tennessee Democrats]]
[[Category:United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:United States secretaries of commerce]]
[[Category:United States trade representatives]]
[[Category:Vanderbilt University alumni]]
[[Category:People associated with Mayer Brown]]