how long was alberto gonzales attorney general

by Santiago Kling 4 min read

Alberto Gonzales
Official portrait, 2005
80th United States Attorney General
In office February 3, 2005 – September 17, 2007
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
31 more rows

How old is Alberto Gonzales?

Jun 26, 2017 · Eightieth Attorney General 2005-2007. Alberto R. Gonzales was born on August 4, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas. He received his B.A. from Rice University in 1979 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1982. Mr. Gonzales served in the United States Air Force from 1973 to 1975 and attended the United States Air Force Academy between 1975 and 1977.

Who is Attorney General John Gonzales?

Aug 06, 2013 · February 3, 2005-September 17, 2007 - Serves as the 80th attorney general of the United States. February 6, 2006 - Defends the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program during a Senate...

When did Attorney General Gonzales order a performance review?

He is a graduate of Texas public schools, Rice University, and Harvard Law School. Gonzales served in the United States Air Force between 1973 and 1975, and attended the United States Air Force Academy between 1975 and 1977. He and his wife, Rebecca Turner Gonzales, have three sons. Gonzales resigned as Attorney General August 27, 2007.

When did Attorney General Gonzales step down?

Gonzales served as the 80th Attorney General of the United States, the chief federal law enforcement official in America. As Attorney General, he led the fight to prevent terrorism and reduce the threat of gangs, drugs and violent crime. He directed the Justice Department and its 40 separate component organizations including the FBI, DEA, ATF ...

See more

Alberto R. Gonzales is an American lawyer who served as the 80th US Attorney General under President George Walker Bush administration.. Early Life. Alberto Gonzales was born to poor Mexican immigrants on August 4, 1955, in San Antonio, Texas.He grew up in Houston as the second child of Pablo and Maria Gonzales. He had seven other siblings in the family.

image

How old is Alberto Gonzales?

66 years (August 4, 1955)Alberto R. Gonzales / Age

Where was Alberto Gonzalez born?

San Antonio, TXAlberto R. Gonzales / Place of birth

Who was attorney general under George W Bush?

Alberto GonzalesOfficial portrait, 200580th United States Attorney GeneralIn office February 3, 2005 – September 17, 2007PresidentGeorge W. Bush31 more rows

Is Gonzales a Mexican name?

González is a Spanish surname, the second most common (2.16% of the population) in Spain. One of the five most common surnames in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, and Venezuela – González is one of the most common surnames in the entire Spanish-speaking world.

Where was Alberto Gonzales born?

Artist: Alberto R. Gonzales was born on August 4, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas. He received his B.A. from Rice University in 1979 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1982. Mr. Gonzales served in the United States Air Force from 1973 to 1975 and attended the United States Air Force Academy between 1975 and 1977.

When did Gonzales resign?

Mr. Gonzales was sworn in as the nation’s 80th and first Hispanic attorney general on February 3, 2005. His resignation took effect on September 17, 2007, after serving two years as attorney general.

Personal

Marriages: Rebecca (Turner) Gonzales (August 31, 1991-present); Diane Clemens (1979-1985, divorced)

Timeline

1982-1995 - After graduating from law school, joins the firm of Vinson & Elkins.

Where was Alberto Gonzales born?

Alberto Gonzales was born to poor Mexican immigrants on August 4, 1955, in San Antonio, Texas. He grew up in Houston as the second child of Pablo and Maria Gonzales. He had seven other siblings in the family. Gonzales was raised up under strict Roman Catholic rules as all the children within the family. Living in a two bedroomed house, the family crammed in the small house without running water.

Who was George Bush's ally?

In 2001, George Walker Bush became the US president. He called his erstwhile ally Gonzales to Washington D.C. Gonzales distinguished himself as an ardent supporter of the Bush anti-terrorism policies. He participated in the formulation of the legal framework for the Bush administration fight against terror.

Who was the Attorney General of the United States in 2005?

President Bush nominated Gonzales to replace John Ashcroft as the US Attorney General. Despite his far-right conservative stance, Gonzales received much support from across the political divide. His proponents described him as forthright and honest with his friends and foes alike. On February 3, 2005, Gonzales received a resounding confirmation of 60 votes in favor including 6 Democrat Senators.

Who was the first Hispanic to serve in high offices in Texas?

Alberto Gonzales came from the ashes so to speak. With nothing but education, determination, and ambition, He climbed up the ladder in society. He became the first Hispanic to serve in high offices both in Texas and the US.

Full Coverage

Read a full report on the attorney firings scandal including all NPR coverage.

Role in Controversial Bush Policies

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' decision to step down comes months after critics began calling for his resignation over the firing of U.S. attorneys. But Gonzales was also a central figure in the development of controversial Bush administration policies — including those on the treatment of prisoners and on domestic surveillance.

Quick Profile: Gonzales

Alberto Gonzales became the nation's 80th attorney general on Feb. 3, 2005, after a four-year stint as White House counsel.

Gonzales Timeline

Read about key moments in Alberto Gonzales' career — from his days as general counsel to then-Texas Gov. George Bush to his time as U.S. attorney general.

Who resigned from the Justice Department?

WACO, Tex., Aug. 27 — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress, announced his resignation in Washington today, declaring that he had “lived the American dream” by being able to lead the Justice Department. Mr. Gonzales, who had rebuffed calls for his resignation ...

Did Gonzales resign from the White House?

Mr. Gonzales, who had rebuffed calls for his resignation for months, submitted it to President Bush by telephone on Friday, a senior administration official said. There had been rumblings over the weekend that Mr. Gonzales’s departure was imminent, although the White House sought to quell the rumors.

Why was Kevin Ryan fired?

Kevin Ryan (R) Though described as "loyal to the Bush administration," he was allegedly fired for the possible controversy that negative job performance evaluations might cause if they were released. John McKay (R) Was given a positive job evaluation 7 months before he was fired.

Who resigned from the White House?

Officials who resigned. Alberto Gonzales, United States Attorney General, former White House Counsel. Kyle Sampson, Chief of Staff to the Attorney General. Michael A. Battle, Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys. Michael Elston, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General.

Did Bush and Clinton fire all the prosecutors?

^ "Although Bush and President Bill Clinton each dismissed nearly all U.S. attorneys upon taking office, legal experts and former prosecutors say the firing of a large number of prosecutors in the middle of a term appears to be unprecedented and threatens the independence of prosecutors ." Gonzales: 'Mistakes Were Made' The Washington Post, March 14, 2007

Why are emails about the firing of attorneys lost?

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel stated that some of the emails that had involved official correspondence relating to the firing of attorneys may have been lost because they were conducted on Republican party accounts and not stored properly. "Some official e-mails have potentially been lost and that is a mistake the White House is aggressively working to correct." said Stanzel, a White House spokesman. Stonzel said that they could not rule out the possibility that some of the lost emails dealt with the firing of U.S. attorneys. For example, J. Scott Jennings, an aide to Karl Rove communicated with Justice Department officials "concerning the appointment of Tim Griffin, a former Rove aide, as U.S. attorney in Little Rock, according to e-mails released in March, 2007. For that exchange, Jennings, although working at the White House, used an e-mail account registered to the Republican National Committee, where Griffin had worked as a political opposition researcher."

Who can appoint an attorney?

The President of the United States has the authority to appoint U.S. Attorneys, with the consent of the United States Senate, and the President may remove U.S. Attorneys from office. In the event of a vacancy, the United States Attorney General is authorized to appoint an interim U.S. Attorney. Before March 9, 2006, such interim appointments expired after 120 days, if a Presidential appointment had not been approved by the Senate. Vacancies that persisted beyond 120 days were filled through interim appointments made by the Federal District Court for the district of the vacant office.

Who was the DOJ attorney general in 2006?

Attorney General Gonzales, in a confidential memorandum dated March 1, 2006, delegated authority to senior DOJ staff Monica Goodling and Kyle Sampson to hire and dismiss political appointees and some civil service positions.

Was the White House misled by the Department of Justice?

Members of Congress investigating the dismissals found that sworn testimony from Department of Justice officials appeared to be contradicted by internal Department memoranda and e-mail, and that possibly Congress was deliberately misled. The White House role in the dismissals remained unclear despite hours of testimony by Attorney General Gonzales and senior Department of Justice staff in congressional committee hearings.

image

Overview

Attorney general

Gonzales's name was sometimes floated as a possible nominee to the United States Supreme Court during Bush's first presidential term. On November 10, 2004, it was announced that he would be nominated to replace United States Attorney General John Ashcroftfor Bush's second term. Gonzales was regarded as a moderate compared to Ashcroft because he was not seen as opposing a…

Personal life

Gonzales was born to a Catholic family in San Antonio, Texas, and raised in Humble, Texas, a town outside of Houston. Of Mexicandescent, he was the second of eight children born to Maria (Rodriguez) and Pablo M. Gonzales. His father, who died in 1982, was a migrant worker and then a construction worker with a second grade education. His mother worked at home raising eight children and had a sixth grade education. Gonzales and his family of ten lived in a small, two-be…

Early career

Gonzales was an attorney in private practice from 1982 until 1994 with the Houston law firm Vinson and Elkins, where he became a partner – one of the first Hispanic partners in its history – and where he worked primarily with corporate clients. In 1994, he was named general counsel to then-Texas Governor George W. Bush, rising to become Secretary of State of Texas in 1997 and subsequently named to the Texas Supreme Courtin 1999, both appointments made by Governor …

Recognition

Gonzales has been active in the community, serving as board director or committee member for several non-profit organizations between 1985 and 1994.
In the legal sphere Gonzales provided pro bono legal services to the Host Committee for the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston, acted as a board director for the State Bar of Texas from 1991 to 1994, and was board trustee of the Texas Bar Foundation from 1996 to 1999. He h…

Counsel to Governor Bush

As counsel to Governor Bush, Gonzales helped advise Bush in connection with jury duty when he was called in a 1996 Travis County drunk driving case. The case led to controversy during Bush's 2000 presidential campaign because Bush's answers to the potential juror questionnaire did not disclose Bush's own 1976 misdemeanor drunk driving conviction. Gonzales made no formal request for Bush to be excused from jury duty but raised a possible conflict of interest because …

White House Counsel

As White House counsel, and later as Attorney General, Gonzales served president George W. Bush through a period of escalating controversy over the legality of U.S. policies in the fight against terrorism. Gonzales approved the legal framework for the administration's anti-terrorism efforts and was a reliable advocate for White House policy. He supported positions that enlarged the power of the executive and diminished protections for interrogation subjects. These rulings …

Speculation on Supreme Court nomination

Shortly before the July 1, 2005 retirement announcement of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Sandra Day O'Connor, rumors started circulating that a memo had leaked from the White House stating that upon the retirement of either O'Connor or Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist, that Gonzales would be the first nominee for a vacancy on the Court.