Cameron Forbes Kerry (born September 6, 1950) is an American attorney who served as general counsel of the

U.S. Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for busin ...

. He is the younger brother of

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

and a member of the

Forbes family The Forbes family is one of the components of the Boston Brahmins—they are a wealthy extended American family long prominent in Boston, Massachusetts. The family's fortune originates from trading opium and tea between North America and China ...

Early life and education

Cameron Forbes Kerry was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He is the fourth child of U.S. diplomat

Richard Kerry Richard John Kerry (July 28, 1915 – July 29, 2000) was an American Foreign Service officer and lawyer. He was the father of politicians John Kerry and Cameron Kerry. Early life Kerry was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, to shoe merchant Fr ...

and Rosemary Forbes of the

and Dudley–Winthrop family. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1972 and

Boston College Law School Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the law school of Boston College. It is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts, about 1.5 miles from the university's main campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. With approximately 800 stud ...

in 1978.

Career

In 1972 he served as strategy director for John Kerry for Congress. In 1973 he was a freelance writer and political consultant. From 1973 to 1974, he was a part time

taxi driver ''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a decaying ...

for Cambridge Yellow Cab and later campaign director for Paul Guzzi for Secretary of State. After graduation from law school, Kerry was an associate with

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, also known as Hale & Dorr and WilmerHale, is an international law firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. It is co-headquartered in Washington, D.C. and Boston. It was formed in 2004 thr ...

(1979–1982) and served as law clerk to U.S. Senior Circuit Judge

Elbert Tuttle Elbert Parr Tuttle (July 17, 1897 – June 23, 1996) was the Chief United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1960 to 1967, when that court became known for a series of decisions crucial in advanc ...

(1978–1979), former Chief Judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * Eastern District of Louisiana * M ...

(now the Eleventh Circuit). He was an Adjunct Professor of Telecommunications Law at Suffolk University Law School and has written on First Amendment and cable television issues from 1997 to 2002. From 1983 to 2009 he was an associate and partner with

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. (commonly referred to as "Mintz Levin" or simply "Mintz") is a general practice, full service law firm employing approximately 550 attorneys worldwide. Its headquarters are located at One Financ ...

. In 1976 he was an intern for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Consumer Affairs. He was a summer associate with Ropes & Gray in 1977. In 1982 he served as campaign director for John Kerry for Lieutenant Governor. In 1983, Cameron Kerry converted from Roman Catholicism to

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

before marrying Kathy Weinman. His paternal grandparents were

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

immigrants from Austria who converted to Catholicism. During brother John's presidential campaign, Cameron Kerry traveled across the country speaking to his brother's views on Israel, campaigning with Harvard Law School professor

Alan Dershowitz Alan Morton Dershowitz ( ; born September 1, 1938) is an American lawyer and former law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law and American criminal law. From 1964 to 2013, he taught at Harvard Law School, where he was appoin ...

, writer-comedian

Larry David Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', on which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seve ...

, and Jewish elected officials. During that time Kerry also served as an influential advisor to his brother and played a role in decisions behind the scenes and as a campaign surrogate. In 2006, Cameron Kerry explored a run for Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth but decided not to run when the Democratic incumbent

William F. Galvin William Francis Galvin (born ) is an American politician who serves as the 27th Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. Early life Galvin was born and raised in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston. He was taught by the Christian Brother ...

announced that he would seek re-election. During the 2008 presidential campaign, he was the vice chair of the

National Jewish Democratic Council The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) was a political lobbying organization that advocated within the Democratic Party for viewpoints aligned with the American Jewish community and in support of the state of Israel, and within the polit ...

and defended

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

in the Jewish press. On April 20, 2009, President Obama nominated him, and on May 21, 2009, he was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate as the General Counsel of the Department of Commerce. In this role, Kerry was the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and third-ranking secretarial officer. He served as the department's chief legal officer and oversees the work of over 325 lawyers in 14 offices. Kerry also served as the department's chief ethics officer, and co-chaired the secretary's Internet Policy Task Force, which brings together Commerce agencies with expertise on the internet in the 21st-century global economy. Kerry was appointed acting

United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

on June 1, 2013, and resumed his position as general counsel on June 26, 2013, when

Penny Pritzker Penny Sue Pritzker (born May 2, 1959) is an American billionaire businesswoman and civic leader who served as the 38th United States secretary of commerce in the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017. She was confirmed by a Senate vote of 97� ...

was sworn in as the 38th

Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

. As the General Counsel of the Department of Commerce, Kerry was the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and third-ranking secretarial officer. He resigned his position on September 4, 2013. From 2014 to 2019 he served as senior counsel with

Sidley Austin Sidley Austin LLP is an American multinational law firm with approximately 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices worldwide. The firm's headquarters is at One South Dearborn in Chicago's Loop. The firm specializes in a variety of areas in both litigation ...

.LinkedIn Profile
/ref> Since 2013, he has been a visiting scholar with the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Media Lab and a Tisch distinguished visiting fellow with the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in ec ...

Personal life

He and his wife, Kathy Weinman, have two daughters and live in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

.Cameron F. Kerry bio
/ref>

References

S. Hrg. 111-418 - NOMINATIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, AND THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerry, Cameron 1950 births Living people Politicians from Boston Boston College Law School alumni Harvard College alumni Forbes family Kerry family Massachusetts Democrats Massachusetts lawyers Obama administration cabinet members United States Secretaries of Commerce 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American politicians Winthrop family Woolsey family Politicians from Washington, D.C. Mintz Levin partners Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr associates