White House chief of staff William Daley
Washington (AP). With decades of political and business experience, newly named White House chief of staff William Daley is solidly positioned to help President Barack Obama navigate the troubled waters of divided government and prepare for the 2012 presidential race.
A Democratic centrist, Daley can serve as a liaison to business in a White House that has faced criticism from some as being anti-business. A former commerce secretary and banking powerhouse, he can also give Obama real-world advice on economic matters. No stranger to sharp-elbow politics, Daley can be a trusted campaign adviser.
“Bill Daley is entirely comfortable in the world of business as in the world of politics” – said William Galston, a longtime associate of Daley’s who was a White House domestic adviser in the Clinton administration.
And while Daley is soft-spoken, “he has all the toughness of the Daley family, and then some” – said Galston, now with the Brookings Institution, a liberal-leaning think tank.
Daley is not the only Clinton administration alumnus joining Obama’s team. Obama was expected to name Gene Sperling to replace the departing Larry Summers as head of the White House National Economic Council. It is a job that Sperling, now an adviser to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, held late in the Clinton administration.
- William Daley.
Name – William M. Daley.
Age – 62.
Education – Loyola University, John Marshall Law School.
Family – Daley is married to Bernadette Keller. His first marriage, to Loretta, ended in divorce. Daley’s three children live in Chicago. William Jr., 38, is an executive director in Morgan Stanley’s municipal finance group. With wife Aimee they have three young children. Lauren, 36, is finishing a master’s in social service administration at the University of Chicago. Maura, 30 is a regional field director at ONE, the advocacy group founded by Bono.
Business highlights – With J.P. Morgan Chase since 2004; president, SBC from December 2001 to May 2004; vice chairman of Evercore Capital from January to November 2001. Former executive, Amalgamated Bank. Former member, the Federal National Mortgage Association, known as Fannie Mae.
Birth date — August 9, 1948.
Location – Chicago.
Experience — Midwest chairman, JPMorgan Chase & Co., 2004 to January 2011; president, SBC Communications Inc., December 2001 to May 2004; vice president, Evercore Capital Partners LLC, January to December 2001; chairman, Vice President Al Gore’s presidential election campaign, June to December 2000; commerce secretary, January 1997 to June 2000. Director, The Boeing Co., The Art Institute of Chicago, Loyola University of Chicago and Northwestern University.
Quote — “If you want government out of the picture and self-regulation to work, you must hear all the voices. The fact of the matter is, if you don’t hear them, or ignore their legitimate interests, I guarantee they will be knocking on my door, calling for regulation.”