Clark Kent Ervin (born April 1, 1959), currently the head o
at the
Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...
, was the first
Inspector General
An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general".
Australia
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...
of the
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the I ...
(DHS).
Political career
He was appointed on December 26, 2003, in a
recess appointment
In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the advi ...
by President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. Prior to appointment, he had served as the acting inspector general since January 10, 2003.
During his tenure, Ervin issued a number of reports critical of mismanagement and security flaws at the newly formed Department. In December 2004, his recess appointment expired, and the White House declined to nominate him for confirmation by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
.
The end of his term was controversial. Critics viewed the lack of White House support as retribution for Ervin's aggressive efforts to root out waste, fraud, and incompetence. For example, "I think this was a voice that was a little too critical and made the administration a little too uncomfortable," said the executive director of the
Project on Government Oversight
The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a Nonpartisanism, nonpartisan non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., Washington, DC, that investigates and works to expose waste, fraud, abuse, and conflicts of interest in the Federal gove ...
. The White House disagreed with that perspective, saying "His term expired and that's that." In May 2006, Ervin published a book -- ''Open Target: Where America is Vulnerable to Attack''—that gives details of his tenure at the DHS as well as his views on the current lack of preparedness for new terrorist attacks.
Prior to his service at DHS, Ervin served as the Inspector General of the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
and the
Broadcasting Board of Governors
The United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), formerly the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), is an independent agency of the United States government that broadcasts news and information. It describes its mission, "vital to US nation ...
. Before his work for the Bush administration, Ervin served in Texas state government:
* From 1995 until 1999, he served as the Assistant Secretary of State of Texas;
* From 1999 until April 2001, he served as Deputy Attorney General, General Counsel, and Director of Administration in the office of then Texas Attorney General
John Cornyn
John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the Senate majority whip for ...
.
Ervin served in the first Bush White House from 1989 to 1991 as the Associate Director of Policy in the Office of National Service. He returned to his native Houston in 1991 to run for the 29th Congressional district seat, winning the Republican nomination but losing the general election.
He served as the co-chairman for
Barack Obama's
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 ...
transition team for DHS in 2008. He also served as one of the eight members of the bi-partisan Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Law career
Ervin has practiced law in the private sector in Houston twice, first with
Vinson & Elkins
Vinson & Elkins LLP (or V&E) is an international law firm with approximately 700 lawyers worldwide headquartered in Downtown Houston, Texas.
The firm has offices in major energy, financial, and political centers worldwide, including Austin, Dalla ...
from 1985 to 1989, and later with
Locke, Liddell & Sapp
Locke Lord LLP is an international law firm formed on October 2, 2007, after the combination of Texas-based Locke Liddell & Sapp PLLC and Lord Bissell & Brook LLP. Locke Lord's earliest predecessor firms date from 1887 and 1891. The firm is hea ...
from 1993-1995. Ervin is currently a partner in the Washington, DC law firm
Squire Patton Boggs
Squire Patton Boggs is an international law firm with 42 offices in 20 countries. It was formed in 2014 by the merger of multinational law firm Squire Sanders with Washington, D.C. based Patton Boggs. It is one of the 30 largest law firms in the ...
.
Education
Ervin graduated from
The Kinkaid School
, motto_translation = Light through Knowledge
, established =
, type = Independent elementary school and secondary school
, gender = Co-educational
, us_nces_school_id =
, head = Jonathan Eades
, head_name = Head of School
, ad ...
in 1977,
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 1980, and Harvard Law School in 1985, all with honors. Between college and law school, Ervin studied
Philosophy, Politics and Economics at
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
as a
Rhodes Scholar
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
, earning a master's degree in 1982.
Personal life
Mr. Ervin is married to Carolyn A. Harris. He is
Episcopalian
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...
and a parishioner at
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square is an historic Episcopal church located at Sixteenth Street and H Street NW, in Washington, D.C., along Black Lives Matter Plaza. The Greek Revival building, designed by Benjamin Latrobe, i ...
in Washington, D.C.
Ervin gets the name "Clark Kent Ervin" from his brother, Art, after the
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
alter-ego. The brother suggested the name on his day of birth after noting the fact that he was born a month premature and his desire to survive amidst all odds.
"A job for Superman"
, USnews.com, 2004-06-20.
Books
*
References
:''This article contains public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
text produced by the U.S. government.''
External links
Interview
on ''Open Target'' at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its spe ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ervin, Clark
1959 births
American Rhodes Scholars
George W. Bush administration personnel
Harvard College alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
Living people
Recess appointments during the George W. Bush administration
Texas Republicans
The Kinkaid School alumni
United States Department of Homeland Security officials