John Bolton
John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, and as the 26th United States National Security Advisor from 2018 to 2019.
John Bolton | |
|---|---|
Bolton in 2018 | |
| 26th United States National Security Advisor | |
| In office April 9, 2018 – September 10, 2019 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Nadia Schadlow Ricky L. Waddell Mira Ricardel Charles Kupperman |
| Preceded by | H. R. McMaster |
| Succeeded by | Robert C. O'Brien |
| 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations | |
| In office August 2, 2005 – December 31, 2006 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | John Danforth |
| Succeeded by | Zalmay Khalilzad |
| 3rd Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs | |
| In office May 11, 2001 – July 31, 2005 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | John D. Holum |
| Succeeded by | Robert Joseph |
| 18th Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs | |
| In office May 22, 1989 – January 20, 1993 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Richard S. Williamson |
| Succeeded by | Douglas J. Bennet |
| United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division | |
| In office July 27, 1988 – January 20, 1989 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Richard K. Willard |
| Succeeded by | Stuart M. Gerson |
| United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs | |
| In office December 12, 1985 – July 27, 1988 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Robert McConnell |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Boyd |
| Assistant Administrator of USAID for Program and Policy Coordination | |
| In office August 2, 1982 – December 30, 1983 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Alexander Shakow |
| Succeeded by | Richard Derham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Robert Bolton November 20, 1948 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | Christine Bolton
(m. 1972; div. 1983)Gretchen Smith (m. 1986) |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence(s) | Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University (BA, JD) |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army
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| Years of service | 1970–1976 |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in the United States |
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Bolton served as a United States Assistant Attorney General for President Ronald Reagan from 1985 to 1989. He served in the State Department as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from 1989 to 1993, and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs from 2001 to 2005. He was an advocate of the Iraq War as a Director of the Project for the New American Century, which favored going to war with Iraq.
He was the United States Ambassador to the United Nations from August 2005 to December 2006, as a recess appointee by President George W. Bush. He stepped down at the end of his recess appointment in December 2006 because he was unlikely to win confirmation from the Senate, of which the Democratic Party had gained control at the time. Bolton later served as the National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump from April 2018 to September 2019. He repeatedly called for the termination of the Iran nuclear deal, from which the U.S. withdrew in May 2018. He wrote a best-selling book about his tenure in the Trump administration, The Room Where It Happened, published in June 2020.
Bolton is widely considered a foreign policy hawk and is an advocate for military action and regime change by the US in Iran, Syria, Libya, Venezuela, Cuba, Yemen, and North Korea. A member of the Republican Party, his political views have been described as American nationalist, conservative, and neoconservative, although Bolton rejects the last term. He is a former senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and Fox News Channel commentator. He was a foreign policy adviser to 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney.