Anthony Foxx

Last updated

Samara Ryder
​
(m. 2001)​
Anthony Foxx
Anthony Foxx official portrait.jpg
17th United States Secretary of Transportation
In office
July 2, 2013 –January 20, 2017
Children2
Education Davidson College (BA)
New York University (JD)

Anthony Renard Foxx (born April 30, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of Transportation from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Foxx had previously served as Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina from 2009 to 2013. [1] First elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2005, his 2009 mayoral victory made him the youngest person to serve as Charlotte's mayor, as well as the second African American to hold the role. [2]

Contents

Foxx was nominated to the position of Secretary of Transportation by President Barack Obama in April 2013. [3] [4] He went on to be confirmed in a 100–0 vote in June 2013. [5] [6] Upon taking office, he became the youngest Cabinet secretary serving at the time. [7] After leaving office, Foxx joined rideshare company Lyft as chief policy officer in 2018. [8] Foxx left his role as chief policy officer in October 2021, but continued to serve as an advisor to the company. [9]

Early life

Foxx was born on April 30, 1971, in Charlotte, North Carolina. [10] He was raised by his mother, Laura Foxx, and his grandparents, James and Mary Foxx, [11] pursued education at Piedmont Open IB Middle School, and graduated from West Charlotte High School. [1] [12] He graduated from Davidson College, where he was the first African American student body president, [13] in 1993. Foxx majored in history, [14] and went on to earn a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1996. [12] [14]

After law school, Foxx returned to Charlotte to work for a short time at the Smith, Helms, Mullis, and Moore law firm, and left to become a clerk for Judge Nathaniel R. Jones of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Later he worked for the United States Department of Justice and the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. [12] In 2004, he was the campaign manager for Representative Mel Watt. [13]

In 2001, he returned to Charlotte to work as a business litigator for Hunton & Williams. [12] While a member of the city council, he retained his position as a litigator at Hunton & Williams, switching to part-time status.[ citation needed ]

Political career

Municipal government

Foxx was first elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2005 to an at-large seat, and was re-elected in 2007. He won election as Charlotte's 54th and youngest mayor in 2009 and was re-elected in 2011; he became the city's first Democratic mayor since Harvey Gantt left office in 1987.[ citation needed ]

Upon becoming mayor, Foxx faced Charlotte's worst recession in more than 80 years. As the nation's second largest financial services center, the city lost more than 25,000 jobs in the recession. Foxx reformed the city's public safety pay plan and developed a demand-driven approach to workforce development that has become a national model. [15] Foxx also announced the creation of more than 4,000 new jobs. He hosted a series of town hall meetings with unemployed workers, pushed for changes to the city's small business loan program, and pressed White House officials for economic recovery spending measures.[ citation needed ]

From a transportation perspective, Foxx helped salvage the city's largest single capital project: The Blue Line Extension, which was threatened by lower than anticipated sales tax revenue. [16]

Secretary of Transportation

On April 29, 2013, President Barack Obama announced that he would nominate Foxx to the post of the Secretary of Transportation. On June 27, 2013, the Senate confirmed the nomination by a unanimous vote. [5] Foxx resigned from his elected position as mayor to accept the federal appointment. [17]

Foxx prepared and advocated for the Obama administration's first surface transportation bill, the Grow America Act, in 2014, [18] [19] and worked to get its congressional incarnation, the FAST Act, passed. [20] He consolidated the department's financing programs and accelerated permitting policies. [21] Foxx also put forth new rules governing the commercial use of drones, [22] blueprinted a comprehensive national policy on autonomous vehicles, [23] and launched the Department's first Smart City Challenge, engaging more than 70 cities to develop their own strategies to incorporate new technologies into their transportation networks. [24]

Foxx was the designated survivor for the 2015 State of the Union Address on January 20, 2015. [25] [26]

Private sector career

Foxx joined Lyft in October 2018 as the company's chief policy officer. [27] In that role, he advocated for California's Proposition 22, which excluded gig workers from receiving benefits like minimum wage, health care and the right to organize, which are normally afforded to employees. [28] He stepped down from the chief policy officer role in October 2021, but he remained with Lyft as a senior advisor. [29]

In 2022, it was reported that Foxx was under consideration to lead the White House Office of Public Engagement. [30] However, former Mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms was ultimately chosen for the role instead. [31]

Foxx joined the faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University's school of public policy and government, in September 2023 as Emma Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership. [32] In January 2024, it was announced that Foxx would succeed former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick as co-director of the Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership. He is set to take over the role in July 2024. [33]

Personal life

Foxx is married to Samara Ryder, [13] who is also an attorney. They have a daughter and a son. [34]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Secretary of Transportation</span> Head of the United States Department of Transportation

The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the President of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secretary is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States, and is fourteenth in the presidential line of succession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte, North Carolina</span> Largest city in North Carolina, United States

Charlotte is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 15th-most populous city in the United States, the seventh-most populous city in the South, and the second-most populous city in the Southeast behind Jacksonville, Florida. The city is the cultural, economic, and transportation center of the Charlotte metropolitan area, whose estimated 2023 population of 2,805,115 ranked 22nd in the United States. Metrolina is part of an eighteenth-county market region or combined statistical area with an estimated 2023 population of 3,387,115.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Foxx</span> American actor, comedian, and singer (born 1967)

Eric Marlon Bishop, known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He received acclaim for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the film Ray (2004), winning the Academy Award, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. That same year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the crime film Collateral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvard Kennedy School</span> Public policy school of Harvard University

Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public administration, and international development, four doctoral degrees, and various executive education programs. It conducts research in subjects relating to politics, government, international affairs, and economics. As of 2021, HKS had an endowment of $1.7 billion. It is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), a global consortium of schools that trains leaders in international affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray LaHood</span> American politician (born 1945)

Raymond H. LaHood is an American politician who served as the 16th United States Secretary of Transportation from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives (1982–1983) and United States House of Representatives (1995–2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Foxx</span> American politician (born 1943)

Virginia Ann Foxx is an American educator, businesswoman, and politician serving as the U.S. representative from North Carolina's 5th congressional district since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, Foxx served as Secretary of the House Republican Conference from 2013 to 2017. She was the ranking member of the House Committee on Education and Labor from 2019 to 2023, and served as the committee's chair from 2017 to 2019 and since 2023. Foxx's district encompasses much of the northwestern portion of the state, including most of the city of Winston-Salem. She is the dean of North Carolina's congressional delegation.

In the United States, a designated survivor is a person in the presidential line of succession who is kept distant from others in the line when they are gathered together, to reduce the chance that everyone in the line will be unable to take over the presidency in a catastrophic or mass-casualty event. The person is chosen to stay at an undisclosed secure location, away from such events such as State of the Union addresses and presidential inaugurations. The designation of a survivor is intended to prevent the decapitation of the government and to safeguard continuity in the presidency if the president, the vice president, and others in the presidential line of succession die. The procedure began in the 1950s, during the Cold War, with the idea that nuclear attack could kill government officials and the United States government would collapse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Watson</span> American politician

Kirk Preston Watson is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 59th mayor of Austin, Texas since 2023, previously holding the office as the 54th mayor from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he ran unsuccessfully for Texas Attorney General in the 2002 election, when he was defeated by Republican Greg Abbott, later governor of Texas. In 2006, Watson was elected to the Texas Senate from District 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CityLynx Gold Line</span> Streetcar line in Charlotte, North Carolina, US

The CityLynx Gold Line is a streetcar line in Charlotte, North Carolina. A component of the Charlotte Area Transit System's Lynx rail system, it follows a primarily east-west path along Beatties Ford Road, Trade Street and Central Avenue through central Charlotte. The initial 1.5-mile (2.4 km), six-stop segment between Time Warner Cable Arena and Presbyterian Hospital opened for service on July 14, 2015. A further 2.5-mile (4.0 km) segment from the Charlotte Transportation Center to French Street, and from Hawthorne & 5th to Sunnyside Avenue, opened for service on August 30, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Rivkin</span> American businessman, diplomat (born 1962)

Charles Hammerman Rivkin is an American media executive and former United States diplomat who is chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Democratic National Convention</span> U.S. political event held in Charlotte, North Carolina

The 2012 Democratic National Convention was a gathering, held from September 4–6, 2012, at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, in which delegates of the Democratic Party nominated President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for reelection, in the 2012 United States national election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of Barack Obama</span> Overview of the confirmations of Barack Obamas Cabinet

Barack Obama assumed office as President of the United States on January 20, 2009, and his term ended on January 20, 2017. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 North Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

The 2012 North Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 United States presidential election, U.S. House election, statewide judicial election, Council of State election and various local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Low</span> American politician (born 1983)

Evan Low is an American politician currently serving in the California State Assembly. He is a Democrat representing the 26th Assembly District, which encompasses parts of Silicon Valley, including Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and portions of northern and western San Jose. He is a member of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, and currently serves as Chair of the California Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Buttigieg</span> American politician (born 1982)

Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg is an American politician and former naval officer who is currently serving as the 19th United States Secretary of Transportation. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 32nd mayor of South Bend, Indiana, from 2012 to 2020, which earned him the nickname "Mayor Pete".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Tata</span> American novelist & government official (born 1959)

Anthony Jean Tata, is an American retired United States Army officer, author, and government official. He is a retired brigadier general of the United States Army (1981–2009), and later served as a school district administrator for two large school districts in the District of Columbia and North Carolina. He served as Secretary of Transportation of North Carolina from 2013 to 2015 under Governor Pat McCrory. Tata is the author of the Threat series of thriller novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Charlotte mayoral election</span>

The biennial Charlotte mayoral election was held on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. Primary elections were held on Tuesday, September 10, 2013. Unaffiliated voters were allowed to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary.

Patsy Kinsey is a former American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina for five months in 2013. She served out the remainder of the term of former Mayor Anthony Foxx, who resigned to become United States Secretary of Transportation. Kinsey is the second woman to serve as Mayor of Charlotte. The city's first female mayor was Republican Sue Myrick, who held the office from 1987 to 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufus Gifford</span> American diplomat (born 1974)

John Rufus Gifford is an American politician, and diplomat, who has served as Finance Director of the Biden 2024 presidential campaign since July 2023. He was the chief of protocol of the United States from 2022 to 2023. Between 2013 and 2017, he was the United States Ambassador to Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Kan</span> American businessman and politician (born 1978)

Derek Tai-Ching Kan is an American business executive and government official who has served as a Governor of the United States Postal Service since 2022. He served as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget between July and December 2020. Kan also served as the under secretary of transportation for policy from 2017 to 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 Morrill, Jim; Lyttle, Steve (November 3, 2009). "Foxx elected Charlotte's mayor". The Charlotte Observer . Retrieved November 3, 2009.[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ Frey, Jennifer. "Born to Run, Raised to Lead | NYU Law Magazine". NYU Law Magazine. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  3. ↑ Baker, Peter (April 29, 2013). "Charlotte Mayor Is Chosen as Transportation Chief". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Nomination of Mayor Anthony Foxx to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation". Archived (PDF) from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Cabinet post caps Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx's steep ascent". Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx Sworn in as 17th U.S. Secretary of Transportation". July 2, 2013. Archived from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  7. ↑ Heil, Emily (April 30, 2013). "Anthony Foxx will be youngest Cabinet secretary". Washington Post. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  8. ↑ McFarland, Matt (October 9, 2018). "Lyft hires Obama administration's top transportation official | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  9. ↑ Oprysko, Caitlin (October 27, 2021). "Foxx stepping back at Lyft". POLITICO. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  10. ↑ Laurel (October 18, 2009). "Charlotte's Next Mayor". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Where Politics is a Family Affair". The Charlotte Observer. February 6, 2007. p. 1B.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Harrison, Steve (October 18, 2009). "Anthony Foxx, Democrat - Describes Himself as Mediator, Ready to Speak Out on Issues". The Charlotte Observer . p. 1A.
  13. 1 2 3 Rubin, Richard (September 29, 2005). "Grandfather's Lessons Pay Off for City Council Contender - Grandson of Stalwart of Democratic Party Leads Primary At-Large Ticket". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1B.
  14. 1 2 "Anthony R. Foxx". Hunton & Williams. Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  15. ↑ "Mayor Foxx on Charlotte's "herculean" efforts to promote training". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Charlotte's Once Ambitious Rapid Transit Plan Faces Budget Ax". November 19, 2010. Archived from the original on June 25, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Anthony Foxx resigns as mayor, Patsy Kinsey named new mayor". Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  18. ↑ "This Week in Infrastructure: White House offers bill to grow America". May 2, 2014. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Foxx Ends Bus Tour by Asking People to Send Congress 'Picture of a Pothole'". February 20, 2015. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  20. ↑ Goad, Ben (December 4, 2015). "Obama signs $305B highway bill". Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Martin Klepper to lead USDOT Build America Bureau". March 2, 2019. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  22. ↑ Selyukh, Alina (August 29, 2016). "FAA Expects 600,000 Commercial Drones In The Air Within A Year". NPR . Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  23. ↑ "US DOT unveils 'world's first autonomous vehicle policy,' ushering in age of driverless cars". September 20, 2016. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  24. ↑ Newcomb, Doug. "Transportation Secretary Foxx On Why Columbus, Ohio Won The DOT's $40 Million Smart City Challenge". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Obama's 'designated survivor:' Anthony Foxx". USA Today. January 20, 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  26. ↑ Jackson, David (January 20, 2015). "O". NationalJournal. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation Under President Obama, Joins Lyft". Lyft. July 15, 2013. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  28. ↑ Rodrigo, Chris Mills (November 8, 2020). "Uber, Lyft eager to take California labor win nationwide". The Hill. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  29. ↑ Oprysko, Caitlin. "Foxx stepping back at Lyft". POLITICO. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  30. ↑ Hans, Nichols (May 4, 2022). "Scoop: Biden eyes Anthony Foxx for top White House role". Axios. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  31. ↑ McCammond, Alexi (June 15, 2022). "Scoop: Keisha Lance Bottoms to join White House". Axios. Retrieved May 9, 2023. As Axios previously reported, Biden had at one point been considering former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx as Richmond's successor.
  32. ↑ Hughes, Susan A. (September 19, 2023). "Anthony Foxx: Pushing cities and the technology community to think about how to help solve public problems". www.hks.harvard.edu. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  33. ↑ "New leadership for HKS's Center for Public Leadership". www.hks.harvard.edu. January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Meet the Secretary". United States Department of Transportation. July 15, 2013. Archived from the original on July 15, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Charlotte
2009–2013		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Secretary of Transportation
2013–2017		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Cabinet Member Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Cabinet Member		Succeeded byas Former US Cabinet Member
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.