Robert S. Strauss

Robert S. Strauss
United States Special Envoy for the Middle East
In office May 4, 1979 – November 25, 1979
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Sol Linowitz
6th United States Trade Representative
In office March 30, 1977 – August 17, 1979
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Frederick B. Dent
Succeeded by	Reubin Askew
Chair of the Democratic National Committee
In office December 9, 1972 – January 21, 1977
Preceded by	Jean Westwood
Succeeded by	Kenneth Curtis
Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee
In office March 5, 1970 – December 9, 1972
Preceded by	Patrick O'Connor
Succeeded by	Donald Petrie
Personal details
Born	Robert Schwarz Strauss (1918-10-19)October 19, 1918 Lockhart, Texas, U.S.
Died	March 19, 2014(2014-03-19) (aged 95) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Helen Jacobs
Children	3
Relatives	Annette Strauss
Education	University of Texas at Austin (BA, LLB)

Robert Schwarz Strauss (October 19, 1918 – March 19, 2014) was an influential figure in American politics, diplomacy, and law whose service dated back to future President

. Strauss also served as the last United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union.

An accomplished lawyer, Strauss founded the law firm now known as

.

Strauss was inducted into the Academy of Achievement^[2][3] in 2003 and was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian award, on January 16, 1981. He was a trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and The Forum for International Policy and was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission.

Strauss occupied academic chairs and lecture positions, including one as the

: the Helen and Robert S. Strauss Professorship in Pediatric Neurology and the Helen and Robert S. Strauss Professorship in Urology.

Background

Strauss was born in

. Strauss's father opened a small general store in Stamford.

In his sophomore year at the

.

After the war, he settled in Dallas, where he and a fellow FBI agent, Richard A. Gump, founded their own

.

Texas political activity

Still interested in a political career, Strauss and his wife, Helen Jacobs, found a more comfortable niche participating in numerous charities and community activities. Strauss became a prodigious fundraiser for the

Senate Majority Leader

.

When

.

Strauss's skill as a campaign adviser and fundraiser was crucial in Connally's narrow victory. Having secured the Democratic nomination, Connally easily won the general election. Connally's election finally brought Strauss the access to the Dallas business establishment that he had long sought. Governor Connally appointed Strauss to the Texas Banking Commission, and Strauss's law firm grew and prospered.

The world of Texas politics was turned upside down by the events of November 1963. Connally and his wife Nellie were riding in the limousine with Kennedy in Dallas when the latter was

. Connally was severely wounded by the assassin's bullets but soon recovered. Connally and Strauss's mentor and patron, Johnson, was now President of the United States. Although Strauss did not regard himself as part of the President's inner circle of political advisers, Connally certainly was, and Strauss's connection to Connally brought him closer to the President.

In Texas, Connally was finding himself at odds with the more liberal wing of his party. Democrats were becoming divided over the Vietnam War on the national stage. Johnson solicited Strauss's advice on the issue.

Strauss feared that continued involvement in the war was a mistake endangering Johnson's presidency. However, he felt too intimidated by the imposing Johnson to share his true feelings. Strauss immediately regretted withholding his genuine opinion from Johnson. He resolved that if any president ever sought his advice again, Strauss would tell him the truth regardless of what he wanted to hear.

National political activity

The

In 1972, the Democrats nominated George McGovern, and Connally supported Nixon. McGovern and the Democrats suffered a crushing defeat, losing in 49 of the 50 states.

Strauss was then elected Chairman of the

.

By the time the Democrats met at

.

Strauss expertly managed the convention. At the 1972 convention, party infighting had delayed candidate McGovern's acceptance speech until late at night, when the television audience had gone to sleep. Strauss made sure that Carter's acceptance speech ran in prime time, and the convention ended with a memorable tableau: the leaders of the party's opposing wings, conservative George Wallace and liberal George McGovern, flanking Carter with clasped hands upraised. The Democrats entered the fall campaign united for the first time in years. Credit for this accomplishment was awarded to Chairman Strauss, and Carter quickly asked Strauss to chair his election campaign.

The national election was closely contested, but Carter emerged victorious, Strauss being acclaimed as a political kingmaker.

Carter

After ascending to the presidency in 1977, Carter named Strauss as

The Iranian Revolution led to the seizure of American diplomats as hostages, a crisis that dominated the last year of Carter's term.

In 1980, Strauss's old friend, Connally, finally made a run for the presidency. He entered the Republican primaries as a hard-core conservative. However, he found himself running at the back of the pack while Ronald Reagan emerged as the frontrunner. Strauss chaired Carter's campaign committee again in 1980, but Carter did not win re-election. Before leaving office, Carter awarded Robert Strauss the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.

Strauss returned to his law firm's thriving Washington office. His experience as Trade Representative made him a sought-after expert on international trade matters.

Reagan

Carter's successor, Reagan, was to face difficulties of his own. His efforts to resolve another hostage situation led to the

made a discreet approach to an experienced outsider they believed might be able to persuade Reagan. Others had told him what he wanted to hear: that the controversy would blow over and that Donald Regan was more useful than not being there. Strauss, who had closely observed the workings of two other presidential administrations, told Reagan the painful truth: Regan had become a liability and that the White House needed a Chief of Staff who could mend fences, especially with Congress.

Strauss recommended former

, a Republican who was respected on both sides of the aisle for his competence and his integrity. Reagan was visibly annoyed with Strauss's suggestions. However, a few days later, Donald Regan submitted his resignation, and the President appointed Baker to replace him. Baker skillfully managed Reagan's recovery from the controversy, and Reagan left office with his popularity restored.

Strauss was then appointed as the co-chair, along with ex-Secretary of Transportation

George HW Bush

.

Bush

Reagan's Vice President, Bush, won the 1988 election to succeed him. Bush also found a need for the counsel of Strauss. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was attempting to reform the country's communist system and to forge a new relationship with the United States. His efforts faced opposition from hard-liners within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and newly elected leaders who agitated for more and more autonomy.

Bush appointed Strauss to serve as Ambassador to the Soviet Union, hoping that Strauss's proven negotiation skills would ease the transition to a new era. The Soviet Union was also starting to transition from a dictatorship to a democracy, making it important to show that party membership should no longer be a requirement for political office and that political opposition should no longer be considered treasonous but, to use a British term, "the loyal opposition," making Bush's selection of one of his opponents especially significant.

It was reported that Bush told Strauss that Bush had selected Strauss because Strauss said that he had voted against Bush and intended to do so again.^[11]

In August 1991, only weeks after a state visit by President Bush, reactionary members of the Communist Party and a few high-ranking officers of the military and

collapsed, but Gorbachev's leadership had been fatally injured. Strauss presented his credentials to Gorbachev only hours after Gorbachev resigned his post as Chairman of the Communist Party.

While Strauss served in Moscow, the first elected President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, emerged as the most powerful figure in the fragile union. With the agreement of the elected presidents of the other constituent republics, the Soviet Union was officially dissolved and replaced by a loosely associated Commonwealth of Independent States.

In December, Gorbachev resigned the presidency of a superstate that had ceased to exist. Strauss was quickly reappointed as Ambassador to the largest of the Soviet Union's successor states, the

in the United States and returned to private law practice with Akin Gump.

Awards

Strauss was awarded the H. Neil Mallon Award by the

World Affairs Council

in 1992. The H. Neil Mallon Award, named after the Council's founder, and hosted by the World Affair Council of Dallas/ Fort Worth, is presented annually to individuals who have excelled at promoting the international profile of North Texas. Funds raised from this event support the World Affair Council's public and education programming, international exchanges, and diplomatic services.

Later life and death

Apart from his law practice and government service, Robert Strauss had long been a popular

.

His sister-in-law,

Dallas

from 1987 to 1991.

On March 19, 2014, Strauss died of

See also

• List of U.S. political appointments that crossed party lines

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Schwarz Strauss.

• Strauss profile and bio at the Academy of Achievement
• Strauss bio at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP
• Strauss bio at Answers.com
• Strauss bio at U.S.-Russia Business Council
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• McGarr, Kathryn J. The Whole Damn Deal: Robert Strauss and the Art of Politics. PublicAffairs, 2011.
  ISBN 1586488775

Party political offices
Preceded by Jean Westwood	Chair of the Democratic National Committee 1972–1977	Succeeded by Kenneth Curtis
Political offices
Preceded by Frederick Dent	United States Trade Representative 1977–1979	Succeeded by Reubin Askew
Diplomatic posts
New office	United States Special Envoy for the Middle East 1979	Succeeded by Sol Linowitz
Preceded by Jack Matlock	United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union 1991	Position abolished
New office	United States Ambassador to Russia 1991–1992	Succeeded by Tom Pickering