Alberto Gonzales
Alberto R. Gonzales (born August 4, 1955) is an American lawyer who served as the 80th United States Attorney General from 2005 to 2007 and is the highest-ranking Hispanic American in executive government to date. He previously served as Secretary of State of Texas, as a Texas Supreme Court Justice, and as White House Counsel, becoming the first Hispanic to hold that office.
Alberto Gonzales | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2005 | |
| 80th United States Attorney General | |
| In office February 3, 2005 – September 17, 2007 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Deputy | James Comey Paul McNulty Craig S. Morford (acting) |
| Preceded by | John Ashcroft |
| Succeeded by | Michael Mukasey |
| White House Counsel | |
| In office January 20, 2001 – February 3, 2005 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Beth Nolan |
| Succeeded by | Harriet Miers |
| Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas | |
| In office January 3, 1999 – January 20, 2001 | |
| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Raul Gonzalez |
| Succeeded by | Wallace B. Jefferson |
| 100th Secretary of State of Texas | |
| In office January 1, 1998 – January 3, 1999 | |
| Governor | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Tony Garza |
| Succeeded by | Elton Bomer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 4, 1955 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Diana Clemens (div. 1985) Rebecca Turner |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | United States Air Force Academy Rice University (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1973–1975 |
Gonzales's tenure as U.S. Attorney General was marked by controversy regarding warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens and the legal authorization of "enhanced interrogation techniques", later generally acknowledged as constituting torture, in the U.S. government's post-9/11 "War on Terror". Gonzales had also presided over the firings of several U.S. Attorneys who had refused back-channel White House directives to prosecute political enemies, allegedly causing the office of Attorney General to become improperly politicized. Following calls for his removal, Gonzales resigned from the office "in the best interests of the department," on August 27, 2007, effective September 17, 2007.
In 2008, Gonzales began a mediation and consulting practice. Additionally, he taught a political science course and served as a diversity recruiter at Texas Tech University. Gonzales is currently the Dean of Belmont University College of Law, in Nashville, Tennessee, where he teaches National Security Law. He was formerly Of Counsel at a Nashville-based law firm—Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP—where he advised clients on special matters, government investigations and regulatory matters.