Robert S. Strauss

Robert S. Strauss
United States Ambassador to Russia
In office
December 26, 1991 – November 19, 1992
PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byTom Pickering
United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union
In office
August 24, 1991 – December 26, 1991
PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush
Preceded byJack F. Matlock Jr.
Succeeded byPosition abolished
United States Special Envoy
for the Middle East
In office
May 4, 1979 – November 25, 1979
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded bySol Linowitz
6th United States Trade Representative
In office
March 30, 1977 – August 17, 1979
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byFrederick B. Dent
Succeeded byReubin Askew
Chair of the Democratic National Committee
In office
December 9, 1972 – January 21, 1977
Preceded byJean Westwood
Succeeded byKenneth Curtis
Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee
In office
March 5, 1970 – December 9, 1972
Preceded byPatrick O'Connor
Succeeded byDonald Petrie
Personal details
Born
Robert Schwarz Strauss

(1918-10-19)October 19, 1918
Lockhart, Texas, U.S.
DiedMarch 19, 2014(2014-03-19) (aged 95)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseHelen Jacobs
Children3
RelativesAnnette Strauss
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin (BA, LLB)

Robert Schwarz Strauss (October 19, 1918 – March 19, 2014) was an influential figure in American politics, diplomacy, and law whose service dated back to future President Lyndon Johnson's first congressional campaign in 1937. By the 1950s, he was associated in Texas politics with the faction of the Democratic Party that was led by Johnson and John Connally. He served as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee between 1972 and 1977 and served under President Jimmy Carter as the U.S. Trade Representative and special envoy to the Middle East. He later served as the Ambassador to Russia under President George H.W. Bush. Strauss also served as the last United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union.[1]

An accomplished lawyer, Strauss founded the law firm now known as Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in 1945, which had grown to be one of the largest in the world with offices in 15 cities and employing over 900 lawyers and professionals worldwide.[2] His business activities included serving on the Texas Banking Commission and as Chairman of the U.S.-Russia Business Council.

Strauss was inducted into the Academy of Achievement[3][4] in 2003 and was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian award, on January 16, 1981. He was a trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and The Forum for International Policy and was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission.

Strauss occupied academic chairs and lecture positions, including one as the Lloyd Bentsen Chair at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. He was also the namesake of The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas. He was interested in biomedical issues and endowed two chairs at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas: the Helen and Robert S. Strauss Professorship in Pediatric Neurology and the Helen and Robert S. Strauss Professorship in Urology.

  1. ^ "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR ROBERT S. STRAUSS" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 25 October 2002. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  2. ^ Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP- about_glance Archived June 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  4. ^ "2003 Summit Highlights Photo". Robert S. Strauss, former Ambassador to the Soviet Union, receives the Golden Plate Award presented by Awards Council member and the creator of the Star Wars films, director George Lucas, at the 2003 Achievement Summit.