Arthur Culvahouse Jr.
| Arthur Culvahouse Jr. | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | O’Melveny and Myers LLP |
| Role: | Partner |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Expertise: | Attorney |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
| Education: | •University of Tennessee (B.S., 1970) •New York University (J.D., 1973)[1][2] |
| Website: | Official website |
Arthur Culvahouse Jr. is an attorney and partner at the Los Angeles-based O’Melveny and Myers LLP. Culvahouse works out of the firm's Washington, D.C., offices.[1] Culvahouse served as counsel for former President Ronald Reagan (R), vetted vice presidential picks for 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and, in 2016, was selected to vet vice presidential candidates for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.[3][1]
Career
Early career
In 1973, after graduating from New York University with his J.D., Arthur Culvahouse Jr. served as the chief legislative assistant and counsel to U.S. Senator Howard H. Baker Jr. (R-Tenn.). Three years later, Culvahouse began working at the Los Angeles-based legal firm, O’Melveny and Myers LLP.[1] That same year, 1976, Culvahouse helped vet vice presidential candidates for former President Gerald Ford (R).[3]
Reagan administration
Culvahouse joined President Ronald Reagan's administration in 1987, serving as counsel to the president. He advised Reagan on the Iran-Contra investigations, on the U.S. Supreme Court nominations of Robert Bork and Anthony Kennedy, on the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and helped vet Alan Greespan for chairman of the Federal Reserve. He was also appointed chairman of "the inter-agency lawyers Committee on War Powers and the President’s Committee on Federal Judicial Nominations."[1][3] In 1989, Regan awarded Culvahouse with the Presidential Citizens’ Medal, which "recognize[s] citizens who performed exemplary deeds of service for the country or their fellow citizens."[1]
Boards and commissions
After his tenure under the Regan administration, Culvahouse returned to O’Melveny and Myers LLP., but remained active in politics. From 1989 to 1990, he served on the Counterintelligence Advisory Panel to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. During that time, he also served the board of visitors at the U.S. Naval Academy. This was followed in 1990 by a two-year term as a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Nuclear Failsafe and Risk Reduction; he had been appointed to the committee by the U.S. Secretary of Defense. The committee's task was to assess and "recommend improvements in the United States Nuclear Command and Control System."[1]
In 2002, Culvahouse served on the Supreme Court Fellows Commission and remained on the commission until 2005. A year later, he was on the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, the Intelligence Oversight Board, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commission on the Regulation of U.S. Capital Markets in the 21st Century. In 2008 and 2009, Culvahouse was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Defense to the Nuclear Command and Control System Federal Advisory Committee and served on the board of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.[1][2]
Culvahouse is on the board of the Brookings Institution, the Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness, and the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee.[1][4]
John McCain
In 2008, then-presidential candidate John McCain (R) had asked Culvahouse to help in vetting vice presidential candidates. Among those he vetted were then-governor of Alaska Sarah Palin (R).[5] Culvahouse stated in 2009 that, before starting the vetting process, he established three rules with McCain: McCain would make the final decision; Culvahouse would communicate directly with McCain, eliminating any committees or other advisors; and McCain would not choose a candidate that Culvahouse had not formally vetted.[3] When McCain asked about Culvahouse's assessment of Palin, Culvahouse noted that Palin was a "high risk, high reward" candidate.[3]
Legal career
Culvahouse began working at O’Melveny and Myers LLP. in 1976, left in 1984, and re-joined the firm in 1989. From 2000 to 2012, he served as the chairman of the firm. He specializes in corporate governance, white collar defense and corporate investigations, regulatory and government affairs, international trade and investment regulation, public policy, and political strategy.[1] He is an admitted member of the bar in Washington, D.C., New York, and Tennessee, his native state.[1]
Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016
- See also: Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump picked Culvahouse to help in the vetting process in the selecting of a presidential running mate. According to The Washington Post, the people that were considered for the role were asked to answer a 100-question questionnaire, supply personal information, such as tax information, and to list all their published material.[5] According to ABC News, the questionnaire is designed to uncover "strengths, weaknesses, and any potential pitfalls so the candidate can weigh each pro and con."[3]
See also
- Ronald Reagan
- John McCain
- Sarah Palin
- Donald Trump
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- U.S. Department of Defense
- Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 O’Melveny and Myers LLP, "Arthur Culvahouse Jr.," accessed July 12, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 LinkedIn, "Arthur Culvahouse Jr.," accessed July 12, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 ABC News, "What to Know About the Washington Lawyer Vetting Trump’s Potential VPs," July 11, 2016
- ↑ Brookings Institution, "Board of Trustees," accessed July 13, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Washington Post, "Gingrich, Christie are the leading candidates to be Trump’s running mate," June 30, 2016
