Andrew Puzder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrew Puzder
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|---|---|
 |
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| United States Ambassador to the European Union Nominee |
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| Assuming office TBD |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Succeeding | Mark Gitenstein |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Andrew Franklin Puzder
July 11, 1950 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
Lisa Fierstein
(m. 1973; div. 1987)Deanna Descher
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | Cleveland State University (BA) Washington University in St. Louis (JD) |
Andrew Franklin Puzder (born July 11, 1950) is an American lawyer, author, and businessman. He was the chief executive officer (CEO) of CKE Restaurants, which owns Hardee's and Carl's Jr.. He held this role from September 2000 to March 2017. Before that, he was a lawyer from 1978 to 1995. On January 22, 2025, President Donald Trump announced that he nominated Puzder to be the United States Ambassador to the European Union.
Puzder often shares his thoughts on money and government topics. He co-wrote a book called Job Creation: How It Really Works and Why Government Doesn't Understand It. In December 2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Puzder to be the Secretary of Labor. However, Puzder withdrew his name on February 15, 2017, because he did not have enough votes to be approved. After this, he published his second book, The Capitalist Comeback: The Trump Boom and the Left's Plot to Stop It, in 2018.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Andrew Puzder was born on July 11, 1950, in Cleveland, Ohio. His father was a car salesman. Andrew grew up in a working-class area called Russell Township.
He worked in construction, landscaping, and painting houses to pay for college and law school. He first went to Kent State University but left in 1970 to play guitar in bands. Later, he moved to Cleveland Heights and managed a guitar studio. He attended Cleveland State University, earning a bachelor's degree in history in 1975. He then went to Washington University School of Law, where he was a senior editor for the Washington University Law Quarterly. He earned his law degree in 1978. Puzder was the first person in his family to graduate from college.
Career Highlights
Early Legal Work
From 1978 to 1991, Puzder worked as a lawyer in St. Louis. He handled many business-related cases. He worked at the law offices of Morris Shenker and later at the Stolar Partnership. He continued to work as a trial lawyer in St. Louis until 1997.
Leading CKE Restaurants
Puzder worked as a lawyer for Carl Karcher, who founded the Carl's Jr. restaurant chain. In 1991, Karcher asked Puzder to move to Orange County, California and become his personal lawyer. Puzder helped Karcher with financial problems, which allowed Karcher to keep a part of his company, CKE Restaurants.
In 1995, Puzder became an executive vice president and general counsel for Fidelity, a large company. He managed their legal department until 2000. In 1997, CKE Restaurants bought the Hardee's restaurant brand. This deal left CKE with a lot of debt. The company was not doing well financially.
In June 2000, Puzder became the president and CEO of Hardee's. In September of that year, he became the president and CEO of CKE Restaurants. Puzder is known for helping to turn around both the Hardee's brand and CKE. He helped the company become financially stable and start growing again.
Company Sales and Recognition
In July 2010, a company called Apollo Global Management bought CKE. In December 2013, Roark Capital Group bought CKE and kept Puzder as CEO until June 2017.
Puzder received several awards for his work in the food service industry. In 2005, he was named Spokesperson of the Year. In 2008, he received the Golden Chain Award. In 2010, he earned the Food Service Operator of the Year Silver Plate Award. In 2012, his law school named him Distinguished Alumni of the Year.
Advertising Campaigns
Under Puzder, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's ran many ads showing famous people eating large hamburgers. These ads were very noticeable. Puzder said these ads helped save the company and many jobs. He believed the ads were "very American." After Puzder left CKE in 2017, the company changed its advertising to focus more on the food itself.
Media and Books
Puzder often writes articles about money and legal topics for newspapers and websites like The Wall Street Journal and Forbes. He has also appeared on many business news TV shows. He was interviewed on Tucker Carlson Today in 2023. He also speaks at colleges and other places about how government rules affect businesses.
In 2010, Puzder and David Newton wrote the book Job Creation: How It Really Works and Why Government Doesn't Understand It. In this book, they discuss ideas about creating jobs and how government policies can affect them.
In 2018, Puzder wrote The Capitalist Comeback: The Trump Boom and the Left's Plot to Stop It. This book talks about how Donald Trump's time as president affected the U.S. economy.
Political Involvement
Working with Mitt Romney
In 2011, Puzder helped with Mitt Romney's plan for jobs and economic growth. He was an economic advisor and spokesperson for Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. Puzder also served as a delegate at the 2012 Republican National Convention. He was the chairman of a committee that focused on the economy and job creation.
Working with Donald Trump
In 2016, Puzder helped raise money for Donald Trump's presidential campaign. He and his wife gave money to Trump's campaign and other Republican groups. Puzder was a senior economic advisor and spokesperson for the campaign. He also served as a delegate at the 2016 Republican National Convention. He chaired a committee focused on the economy and job creation.
Nomination for Secretary of Labor
On December 8, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Puzder to be the United States Secretary of Labor. This job involves overseeing rules about workers and jobs.
His approval hearing was delayed several times. On February 15, 2017, Puzder withdrew his nomination. It became clear that he did not have enough votes in the Senate to be approved for the position.
Political Ideas
Puzder has shared his views on several economic topics. He has been critical of raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. He believes it could make things more expensive for customers and lead to more jobs being done by machines instead of people. He also thinks there should be a lower minimum wage for people just starting out in their careers.
Puzder also supported getting rid of the Affordable Care Act, a healthcare law. He wrote that the law made healthcare costs too high for many Americans. He also said that rising healthcare costs made people spend less money eating out at restaurants.
Puzder has talked about how more jobs might be done by machines in the future. He said that machines are "always polite" and "never take a vacation." However, he also noted that machines cannot fully replace humans in customer service and building a company's culture.
In 2013, Puzder supported changes to immigration laws. He believed that if immigrants could be hired more easily, it would create a more diverse and productive workforce. He also said that immigrants appreciate what America offers and are not taking jobs from Americans.
Personal Life
Andrew Puzder was married to Lisa Fierstein Henning from 1973 to 1987. They had two children together. He married Deanna L. Descher in 1987. He has six children and six grandchildren. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife. Puzder is Roman Catholic.
Groups He Belongs To
Puzder is a member of several groups, including:
- The National Advisory Board of Washington University School of Law
- The American Enterprise Institute
- The Job Creators Network, which helps businesses.
In 2013, Puzder was chosen to be a director for the International Franchise Association.
See also
- Unsuccessful nominations to the Cabinet of the United States
