Eric David Hargan (born June 3, 1968) is an American lawyer and government official who served as

United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services The deputy secretary of health and human services (formerly the under secretary of health, education, and welfare, 1953–1979, and the under secretary of health and human services, 1979–1990) is the chief operating officer of the United States D ...

from October 2017 to January 2021. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, Hargan previously acted in this role in 2007 under the

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 ...

administration. On October 10, 2017, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

appointed Hargan as acting

United States Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

, which he held until January 29, 2018, when

Alex Azar Alex Michael Azar II (; born June 17, 1967) is an American attorney, businessman, lobbyist, and former pharmaceutical executive who served as the United States secretary of health and human services from 2018 to 2021. Azar was nominated to his p ...

assumed the office.

Early life and education

Hargan was born in 1968 in

Cape Girardeau, Missouri Cape Girardeau ( , french: Cap-Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540. The city is one of two principal citie ...

and raised in

Mounds, Illinois Mounds is a city in Pulaski County, Illinois, United States. The population was 810 in the 2010 census, a decline from 1,117 in 2000. Geography Mounds is located at (37.114838, -89.199030). According to the 2010 census, Mounds has a total area ...

. He received his BA in philosophy from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and his JD from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

, where he was a senior editor of the ''

Columbia Law Review The ''Columbia Law Review'' is a law review edited and published by students at Columbia Law School. The journal publishes scholarly articles, essays, and student notes. It was established in 1901 by Joseph E. Corrigan and John M. Woolsey, who se ...

''.

Career

From 1997 to 2003, Hargan was a partner in the Chicago headquarters of the law firm of

Winston & Strawn Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm. Headquartered in Chicago, it has nearly 800 attorneys in ten offices in the United States and six offices in Europe and Asia. Founded in 1853, it is one of the largest and oldest law firms in Chic ...

, where he specialized in corporate law, particularly mergers and acquisitions, securities, and venture capital transactions. From 2003 to 2005, Hargan served as Deputy General Counsel of HHS for the George W. Bush administration. From 2005 to 2007, he served the Department as Principal Associate Deputy Secretary and Acting Deputy Secretary. Working closely with Secretary

Mike Leavitt Michael Okerlund Leavitt (born February 11, 1951) is an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Utah, 14th Governor of Utah from 1993 to 2003 in the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, as Administrator of the E ...

, Hargan oversaw the department's operations. He also served as the Regulatory Policy Officer for HHS, overseeing the development and approval of all HHS regulations and significant guidances. Hargan left the government in 2007 and joined the health law department of law firm

McDermott Will & Emery McDermott Will & Emery is an international law firm with a diversified business practice. The firm is one of the largest grossing law firms in the US and globally, and its lawyers represent a wide range of commercial, industrial and financial e ...

. Hargan joined the health and FDA business development practice of law firm

Greenberg Traurig Greenberg Traurig is a multinational law firm founded in Miami in 1967. As of 2022, the Greenberg Traurig is the 9th largest law firm in the United States. The firm has 43 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and ...

in June 2010. In 2014, Hargan worked on Illinois Governor

Bruce Rauner Bruce Vincent Rauner (; born February 18, 1956) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 42nd governor of Illinois from 2015 to 2019. Prior to his election, he was the chairman of R8 Capital Partners and chai ...

's health care transition team. Following the election of

, Hargan was on the administration's HHS transition team. On March 15, 2017, Hargan was nominated to be the

. His confirmation hearing was held on June 7, 2017. Hargan was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 4, 2017.

Personal life

Hargan lives in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

with his wife Emily, and their two sons. Hargan served as a professor at

Loyola University Chicago School of Law Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the law school of Loyola University Chicago, in Illinois. Established in 1909, by the Society of Jesus, the Roman Catholic order of the Jesuits, the School of Law is located in downtown Chicago. Loyol ...

, teaching healthcare regulations and administrative law.

References

External links

HHS Biography in 2007
* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hargan, Eric David 1968 births 21st-century American lawyers American civil servants Columbia Law School alumni George W. Bush administration personnel Harvard University alumni Illinois Republicans Living people People from Pulaski County, Illinois Trump administration cabinet members Trump administration personnel United States Deputy Secretaries of Health and Human Services People associated with Winston & Strawn