Ron Kirk

Ronald "Ron" Kirk (born June 27, 1954 in Houston , Texas ) is an American politician ( Democratic Party ) and lawyer .

Kirk is the son of Austin's first African American postal worker. He received a bachelor's degree from Austin College in 1976 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Texas in 1979 . After finishing his studies, Kirk went to Washington to work in the office of US Senator Lloyd Bentsen . Public positions in Austin and a career as a private attorney followed. From 1994 he worked again in the civil service, as he was appointed Secretary of State of Texas by the then Governor Ann Richards .

In 1995 he applied for the post of mayor of Dallas . Kirk won the election with just under 62% of the vote, making it the city's first dark-skinned mayor. In 1999 he was re-elected with 74% of the vote. In November 2001, he resigned from the mayor's office to run for election as a Democratic candidate for the Senate. However, he lost this election to Republican candidate John Cornyn . In the election campaign for the Senate post, Kirk presented himself as a middle-class candidate by saying that he would support the initiatives of then President George W. Bush in Congress . Bush was previously the Texas governor and was very popular with the Texas electorate.

President- elect Barack Obama made Kirk his candidate for the office of US Trade Representative in a press conference on December 19, 2008 . Susan Schwab , who previously held the position, called Kirk "an excellent choice".

Kirk was elected to office with 92 votes in favor and 5 against. Kirk served as the 16th United States sales representative from March 18, 2009 to March 15, 2013.

In January 2013 he announced his resignation; Michael Froman succeeded him in office in June.

Kirk supports the NAFTA treaty and normalization of trade relations with China. He also spoke out against American protectionism. He was also required to disclose his lobbying income in connection with his nomination as a sales representative for the United States.

Kirk is a partner in the law firm Vinson & Elkins. He is considered a friend of Barack Obama's and helped fundraiser in his election campaign. Kirk is married to Matrice Ellis-Kirk and has two daughters, Elizabeth Alexandria and Catherine Victoria. He supported the establishment of the US Public Service Academy .