John R. Schmidt is a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and former United States Associate Attorney General who served from 1994 to 1997 under President Bill Clinton. His responsibilities included oversight of the Civil, Antitrust, Civil Rights, Environment and Tax Divisions. He was also responsible for all aspects of the 1994 Federal Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, including its program to put 100,000 more police into community policing across the United States. Schmidt ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Illinois in the 1998 primary, losing to Congressman Glenn Poshard. He then ran for the Democratic nomination for Illinois Attorney General in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, losing to Lisa Madigan. Prior to his service as Associate Attorney General, Schmidt served as Ambassador and Chief United States Negotiator to the Uruguay Round under the

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is a legal agreement between many countries, whose overall purpose was to promote international trade by reducing or eliminating trade barriers such as tariffs or quotas. According to its pre ...

. He previously served as the first Chief of Staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. He was also Chair of the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority, a joint state-city agency that was responsible for the redevelopment of Navy Pier in downtown Chicago. Schmidt is a partner in the Chicago law firm of Mayer Brown LLP.

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External links

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Justice Dept. Will Lose Its No. 3 Official
New York Times, December 6, 1996. Accessed January 1, 2009.
John R. Schmidt , People , Mayer Brown
Accessed July 9, 2019 {{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt, John 1943 births Illinois Democrats Living people United States Associate Attorneys General Harvard College alumni Harvard Law School alumni