James Thomas Lynn (February 27, 1927 – December 6, 2010) was an American cabinet officer and government official. He served as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1973 until 1975 and as the director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1975 until 1977.
James Lynn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 22nd Director of the Office of Management and Budget | |
| In office February 10, 1975 – January 20, 1977 | |
| President | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Roy Ash |
| Succeeded by | Bert Lance |
| 4th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | |
| In office February 2, 1973 – February 5, 1975 | |
| President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | George Romney |
| Succeeded by | Carla Hills |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 27, 1927 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | December 6, 2010 (aged 83) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Case Western Reserve University (BA) Harvard University (LLB) |
Early life
editLynn was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 27, 1927, to Frederick Robert Lynn and Dorthea Estelle Lynn (née Petersen). In 1948, he graduated summa cum laude from Western Reserve University (now known as Case Western Reserve University), and in 1951 graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. At Harvard Law School Lynn was the case editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Career
edit
He worked for Jones, Day, Cockley and Reavis, Cleveland's biggest law firm, became a partner in 1960 and was there until 1969, when he was named general counsel for the Department of Commerce. In 1971, he became Under Secretary of Commerce.
President Nixon appointed Lynn to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from February 2, 1973 until February 5, 1975. President Gerald R. Ford appointed him to director of the Office of Management and Budget from February 10, 1975 until January 20, 1977.
Later life
editLynn joined the board of Aetna in the 1970s and served as its president and chairman in the 1980s. From 1978 to 1983, Lynn was head of the Federal City Council, a group of business, civic, education, and other leaders interested in economic development in Washington, D.C.[1]
Lynn was also general counsel for the Republican National Committee in 1979 and the president of the James S. Brady Presidential Foundation in the early 1980s. In the 1990s, Lynn served on the Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy as well as on the boards of Pfizer and TRW.
Lynn was also co-chair of the Business Roundtable, was selected for the President's Commission to Study Capital Budgeting and most recently served on the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Lynn was an honorary trustee of the Brookings Institution.
Personal life
editLynn married the former Joan Miller on June 5, 1954. They had two daughters and one son: Marjorie Wilson, J. Peter Lynn and Sarah Hechler.
He died of a massive stroke at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, on December 6, 2010.
References
edit- ^ Lynton, Stephen J. (September 26, 1978). "Former OMB Chief Is Named Federal City Council Head". The Washington Post. p. B3; Eisen, Jack (October 8, 1983). "Federal City Council Change". The Washington Post. p. B2.
- American President. James T. Lynn (1974–1975): Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. URL accessed on December 28, 2010.
- The Political Graveyard. Index to Politicians: Lynchburg to Lynwood.. URL accessed on November 11, 2005.
- Appearances on C-SPAN