Stuart Michael Gerson (born January 16, 1944) was the acting

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

during the

Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over Re ...

, serving in the early months of 1993. Gerson was a debate coach for President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

during the 1988 campaign and went on to serve on President-elect Bush's transition team. Gerson was part of the Bush Administration's National Health Policy Working Group, serving as head of its

Medical Malpractice Medical malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a medical or health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, deviates from standards in their profession, thereby causing injury or death to a patient. The negligen ...

Reform Working Group. At the Department of Justice (DOJ), he was the

Assistant Attorney General Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an assistant attorney general. The president of the United States appoints individuals to the position of assistant attorney general with the advice and ...

for the Civil Division. Gerson was acting

from January 20, 1993, to March 12, 1993. He was in the position for two reasons. Clinton had problems in finding an Attorney General during that period. Also, he was fourth in the line of succession at the Justice Department (other senior DOJ officials had already resigned). Gerson supported the

Brady bill The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act ( Pub.L. 103–159, 107 Stat. 1536, enacted November 30, 1993), often referred to as the Brady Act or the Brady Bill, is an Act of the United States Congress that mandated federal background checks on ...

and was in office during the beginnings of the

Waco siege The Waco siege, also known as the Waco massacre, was the law enforcement siege of the compound that belonged to the religious sect Branch Davidians. It was carried out by the U.S. federal government, Texas state law enforcement, and the U.S. mi ...

Janet Reno Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the 78th United States attorney general. She held the position from 1993 to 2001, making her the second-longest serving attorney general, behind only Wi ...

, President Clinton's nominee for Attorney General, was sworn in on March 12, and he resigned the same day. Gerson's last day at the Justice Department was March 19.

References

, - 1944 births American lawyers Clinton administration cabinet members George H. W. Bush administration personnel Living people United States Assistant Attorneys General for the Civil Division {{US-politician-stub