Leon Panetta

Leon Panetta
Official portrait, 2011
23rd United States Secretary of Defense
In office
July 1, 2011 – February 26, 2013
PresidentBarack Obama
DeputyWilliam J. Lynn III
Ash Carter
Preceded byRobert Gates
Succeeded byChuck Hagel
3rd Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
In office
February 13, 2009 – June 30, 2011
PresidentBarack Obama
DeputyStephen Kappes
Michael Morell
Preceded byMichael Hayden
Succeeded byDavid Petraeus
18th White House Chief of Staff
In office
July 17, 1994 – January 20, 1997
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byMack McLarty
Succeeded byErskine Bowles
29th Director of the Office of Management and Budget
In office
January 21, 1993 – July 17, 1994
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byRichard Darman
Succeeded byAlice Rivlin
Chair of the House Budget Committee
In office
January 3, 1989 – January 21, 1993
Preceded byWilliam H. Gray
Succeeded byMartin Olav Sabo
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
In office
January 3, 1977 – January 21, 1993
Preceded byBurt Talcott
Succeeded bySam Farr
Constituency16th district (1977–1993)
17th district (1993)
Personal details
Born
Leon Edward Panetta

(1938-06-28) June 28, 1938 (age 86)
Monterey, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (1971–present)
Other political
affiliations
Republican (before 1971)
SpouseSylvia Varni
Children3, including Jimmy
EducationSanta Clara University (BA, JD)
Signature
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1964–1966
RankFirst Lieutenant
AwardsArmy Commendation Medal

Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938)[1] is an American retired politician and government official who has served under several Democratic administrations as secretary of defense (2011–2013), director of the CIA (2009–2011), White House chief of staff (1994–1997), director of the Office of Management and Budget (1993–1994), as well as a U.S. representative from California (1977–1993).

Panetta was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993. He served under President Bill Clinton as director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1993 to 1994 and as White House chief of staff from 1994 to 1997. He cofounded the Panetta Institute for Public Policy in 1997 and served as a distinguished scholar to chancellor Charles B. Reed of the California State University System and as a professor of public policy at Santa Clara University.

In January 2009, newly elected president Barack Obama nominated Panetta to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.[2][3] Panetta was confirmed by the Senate in February 2009. As director of the CIA, Panetta oversaw the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. On April 28, 2011, Obama announced the nomination of Panetta as defense secretary to replace the retiring Robert Gates. In June, the Senate confirmed Panetta unanimously and he assumed the office on July 1, 2011.[4][5] David Petraeus became CIA director on September 6, 2011.[6]

Since retiring as secretary of defense in 2013, Panetta has served as chairman of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, located at California State University, Monterey Bay, a campus of the California State University that he helped establish during his tenure as congressman.[7] The institute is dedicated to motivating and preparing people for lives of public service and helping them to become more knowledgeably engaged in the democratic process. He also serves on a number of boards and commissions and frequently writes and lectures on public-policy issues.

Secretary Panetta's son, Jimmy Panetta, has held the elder Panetta's former seat in the US House of Representatives since 2017.

  1. ^ "PANETTA, Leon Edward". History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  2. ^ "Leon Panetta Tapped to Head CIA, Prompting Criticism From Lawmakers". Fox News. January 5, 2009.
  3. ^ "Obama names Panetta for CIA". Associated Press. January 9, 2009. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
  4. ^ "Leon E. Panetta - Barack Obama Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
  5. ^ "Obama bids farewell to defense secretary". NBC News. June 30, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  6. ^ Quemener, Tangi (September 6, 2011). "Petraeus sworn in as new CIA chief". Agence France-Presse. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  7. ^ "The Panetta Institute for Public Policy |". panettainstitute.org. Retrieved November 3, 2016.