Warren Christopher | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, c. 1993 | |
| 63rd United States Secretary of State | |
| In office January 20, 1993 – January 17, 1997 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Deputy | Clifton R. Wharton Jr. Strobe Talbott |
| Preceded by | Lawrence Eagleburger |
| Succeeded by | Madeleine Albright |
| 5th United States Deputy Secretary of State | |
| In office February 26, 1977 – January 20, 1981 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Charles W. Robinson |
| Succeeded by | William P. Clark Jr. |
| 9th United States Deputy Attorney General | |
| In office March 10, 1967 – January 20, 1969 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Ramsey Clark |
| Succeeded by | Richard G. Kleindienst |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Warren Minor Christopher October 27, 1925 Scranton, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Died | March 18, 2011 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Joan Southgate Workman
(m. 1949; div. 1955)Marie Wyllis (m. 1956) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of Redlands University of Southern California (BA) Stanford University (LLB) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank | Ensign |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Warren Minor Christopher (October 27, 1925 – March 18, 2011) was an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 63rd United States secretary of state from 1993 to 1997.
Born in Scranton, North Dakota, Christopher clerked for Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas after graduating from Stanford Law School. He became a partner in the firm of O'Melveny & Myers and served as Deputy Attorney General from 1967 to 1969 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. He served as Deputy Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter, holding that position from 1977 to 1981. In 1991, he chaired the Christopher Commission, which investigated the Los Angeles Police Department in the wake of the Rodney King incident.
During the 1992 presidential election, Christopher headed Bill Clinton's search for a running mate, and Clinton chose Senator Al Gore. After Clinton won the 1992 election, Christopher led the Clinton administration's transition process, and he took office as Secretary of State in 1993. As Secretary of State, Christopher sought to expand NATO, broker peace in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and pressure China regarding its human rights practices. He also helped negotiate the Dayton Agreement, which ended the Bosnian War. He left office in 1997, and was succeeded by Madeleine Albright.
Christopher oversaw the Gore campaign's Florida recount effort in the aftermath of the disputed 2000 presidential election. At the time of his death in 2011, he was a senior partner at O'Melveny & Myers in the firm's Century City, California, office. He also served as a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles.