Louis B. Susman (born November 19, 1937) is an American lawyer, retired investment banker, and the former
United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Nominated by President
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 ...
, he was confirmed by the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
on July 10, 2009, and sworn in by
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
.
Early life
Louis Susman was born on November 19, 1937. He graduated from the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
and earned his law degree from
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
.
Career
Susman practiced law for 27 years and was a senior partner at the St. Louis-based law firm of
Thompson & Mitchell, focusing on
mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
and general
corporate law.
Susman served on the
Board of Directors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
and Management Committee for the
St. Louis Cardinals baseball franchise from 1975 to 1989. He was appointed to the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy by
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
in 1988, and served as a director of the
Center for National Policy in Washington, D.C.
[Ambassador Biography](_blank)
; Embassy of the United States; 2014
Susman later served the managing director and vice chairman of Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking. In 2009, he retired as vice chairman of
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services corporation headquartered in New York City. The company was formed by the merger of banking ...
Global Markets in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
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.
Susman served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2009 to 2013. He had been a longtime and prolific fundraiser for
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
candidates, including Obama and 2004 presidential nominee
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 (Unite ...
.
He is currently a member of the
Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute
The Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute at Washington University School of Law, established in 2000 as the Institute for Global Legal Studies, serves as a center for instruction and research in international and comparative law.
Background
...
's International Council.
Personal life
Susman married Marjorie Sachs.
Their daughter, Sally Susman, is the executive vice president of corporate affairs at
Pfizer
Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...
.
References
External links
United States Embassy to the United Kingdom*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Susman, Louis
Living people
Illinois Democrats
Washington University School of Law alumni
University of Michigan alumni
Ambassadors of the United States to the United Kingdom
Jewish American bankers
1937 births
21st-century American diplomats