John Edgar Bryson (July 24, 1943 – May 13, 2025) was an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. He served as United States Secretary of Commerce from 2011 until 2012, the 37th person to hold the post since its establishment in 1913. He took a leave of absence in June 2012 after a pair of vehicular accidents related to seizures and subsequently resigned. Previously he was chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison and director of The Boeing Company. He co-founded the

Natural Resources Defense Council The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States–based 501(c)(3) non-profit international environmental advocacy group, with its headquarters in New York City and offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicag ...

with fellow Yale alumni in 1970.

Early life and education

Bryson was born in New York City on July 24, 1943. His father operated a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

. He graduated from Cleveland High School in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, in 1961. He received his bachelor's degree from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1965 and his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

(J.D.) degree from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

in 1969.

Career

In 1970, with other recent Yale Law graduates, Bryson helped found and served as legal counsel for the

. From 1976 until 1979, Bryson served as chairman of the California State Water Resources Control Board, and from 1979 until 1982, he served as president of the California Public Utilities Commission. In 1983, Bryson worked for the law firm of Morrison & Foerster in the San Francisco office. Bryson joined Edison International in 1984, and served as director from 1990 until his retirement on July 31, 2008. Bryson was a director of The Boeing Company, W. M. Keck Foundation, and

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

, and a former Director/Trustee for three Western Asset Management funds at Legg Mason. He served on a number of educational, environmental and other nonprofit boards, including chairman of the California Business Roundtable, a trustee of

, a trustee of California Institute of Technology, co-chairman of the Pacific Council on International Policy, and chairman of the Public Policy Institute of California.

Secretary of Commerce

Barack Obama with John Bryson and Ron Kirk

On May 31, 2011, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

nominated Bryson to succeed Gary Locke as the United States Secretary of Commerce. Citing Bryson's environmental views, United States Senator Jim Inhofe, a Republican from

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, put a hold on his nomination in July. The Senate later reached a unanimous consent agreement to vote on Bryson's nomination, and the Senate confirmed Bryson by a 74–26 vote on October 20, 2011.All 51 Democratic Senators and both independents voted for confirmation, but the Republican caucus split 21-26 against. See Obama confirmations, 2010
U.S. Senate roll call no. 176 (112th Cong. 1st session)
o
''Washington Post'' votes database (112th Congress, 1st session, vote 176)
/ref> He was sworn in on October 21, 2011, becoming the 37th Secretary of the

Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business ...

. As Secretary of Commerce, Bryson co-chaired the White House Office of Manufacturing Policy with Gene Sperling.

2012 traffic accidents and resignation

On June 9, 2012, Bryson was involved in a pair of car crashes in San Gabriel, California and Rosemead, California, which were investigated as possible felony hit and run. He is said to have been found unconscious at the site of the second crash. A Department of Commerce spokesperson confirmed he was involved in a crash, and said Bryson had suffered from a seizure. After announcing in a memo that he was taking a medical leave of absence, with Deputy Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank taking over as Acting Secretary of Commerce, Bryson announced on June 21, 2012, his resignation from the post of Secretary of Commerce, because, "the work that ommerce employeesdo to help America’s entrepreneurs and businesses build our economy and create jobs is more important now than ever and I have come to the conclusion that I need to step down to prevent distractions from this critical mission." Los Angeles County prosecutors announced on July 3, 2012, that no criminal charges would be pursued, as the collisions resulted from the cognitive effect of unexpected seizure.

Later life

Bryson joined the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars as a Distinguished Senior Public Policy Scholar in October 2012.

Personal life and death

Bryson was married to Louise Henry Bryson. Their four daughters graduated from the Polytechnic School in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

. Bryson and his wife both served on the school's Board of Trustees. Bryson and his wife resided in San Marino, California. Bryson died at home in San Marino, California, on May 13, 2025, at the age of 81.

References

External links

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John Bryson is the Right Man at the Right Time to Lead Commerce Department
, Frances Beinecke, President of NRDC, May 31, 2011
Secretary of Commerce
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryson, John 1943 births 2025 deaths 21st-century American politicians American corporate directors Boeing people Cleveland High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Directors of The Walt Disney Company Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Lawyers from Portland, Oregon Natural Resources Defense Council people Obama administration cabinet members People associated with energy People associated with Morrison & Foerster Stanford University alumni United States secretaries of commerce Yale Law School alumni