Anthony Foxx facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anthony Foxx
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| 17th United States Secretary of Transportation | |
| In office July 2, 2013 – January 20, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Deputy | John Porcari Victor Mendez |
| Preceded by | Ray LaHood |
| Succeeded by | Elaine Chao |
| 54th Mayor of Charlotte | |
| In office December 7, 2009 – July 1, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Pat McCrory |
| Succeeded by | Patsy Kinsey |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Anthony Renard Foxx
April 30, 1971 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Samara Ryder
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Davidson College (BA) New York University (JD) |
Anthony Renard Foxx (born April 30, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as the United States Secretary of Transportation from 2013 to 2017. This means he was in charge of all things related to travel and moving people and goods across the country.
Before this big job, Foxx was the Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. He served as mayor from 2009 to 2013. He was first elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2005. When he became mayor in 2009, he was the youngest person to hold that job in Charlotte. He was also the second African American mayor of the city.
President Barack Obama chose Anthony Foxx to be the Secretary of Transportation in 2013. The United States Senate voted 100-0 to approve him. This was a unanimous vote, meaning everyone agreed. When he started, he was the youngest person serving in the President's Cabinet. After leaving government, Foxx worked for the rideshare company Lyft. He became their chief policy officer in 2018. He later became an advisor to the company.
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Early Life and Education
Anthony Foxx was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 30, 1971. His mother, Laura Foxx, and his grandparents raised him. He went to Piedmont Open IB Middle School. He then graduated from West Charlotte High School.
In 1993, he graduated from Davidson College. He studied history there. He was also the first African American student body president at the college. After Davidson, he earned a law degree (called a J.D.) from New York University School of Law in 1996.
Legal Career
After finishing law school, Foxx worked as a lawyer. He first worked at a law firm in Charlotte. Then, he became a clerk for a judge named Nathaniel R. Jones. This means he helped the judge with legal research and writing. Judge Jones worked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Later, Foxx worked for the United States Department of Justice. He also worked for the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. This committee deals with laws and justice. In 2004, he helped manage the election campaign for Representative Mel Watt.
In 2001, he returned to Charlotte. He worked as a business litigator for a law firm called Hunton & Williams. A litigator is a lawyer who represents people or companies in court. While he was on the city council, he continued to work part-time at this law firm.
Political Career
Serving Charlotte as Mayor
Anthony Foxx was first elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2005. He won an "at-large" seat, which means he represented the whole city, not just one area. He was re-elected in 2007. In 2009, he won the election to become Charlotte's 54th mayor. He was re-elected in 2011. He was the city's first Democratic mayor since 1987.
When Foxx became mayor, Charlotte was facing a very tough time. The city was going through its worst economic downturn in over 80 years. Charlotte is a big financial center. Because of the recession, the city lost more than 25,000 jobs.
As mayor, Foxx worked to improve the city's public safety pay. He also created new ways to help people find jobs. He announced that over 4,000 new jobs were coming to the city. He held meetings with people who were unemployed. He also pushed for changes to help small businesses get loans. He asked White House officials for money to help the economy recover.
Foxx also helped save a major transportation project. This was the Lynx Blue Line Extension, a light rail line. The project was in trouble because there wasn't enough money from sales tax.
Leading Transportation for the U.S.
On April 29, 2013, President Barack Obama announced he would nominate Foxx. He wanted Foxx to be the United States Secretary of Transportation. On June 27, 2013, the United States Senate approved his nomination. They voted unanimously, which means everyone agreed. Foxx then left his job as mayor to take on this new federal role.
As Secretary of Transportation, Foxx worked on important transportation laws. He helped create the Grow America Act in 2014. He also worked to get the FAST Act passed by Congress. He made it easier to get permits for transportation projects.
Foxx also created new rules for using drones for business. He developed a plan for self-driving cars. He started the Department's first Smart City Challenge. This challenge encouraged over 70 cities to use new technologies in their transportation systems.
On January 20, 2015, Foxx was the designated survivor for the 2015 State of the Union Address. This means he was chosen to be in a safe, secret location. If something happened to the President and other leaders, he would take over.
Private Sector Career
In October 2018, Anthony Foxx joined Lyft. He became the company's chief policy officer. In this role, he worked on policies related to the company's services. He left this role in October 2021. However, he continued to work as a senior advisor for Lyft.
In 2022, there were talks that Foxx might lead the White House Office of Public Engagement. But another former mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, was chosen instead.
In September 2023, Foxx joined the Harvard Kennedy School. This is a famous school at Harvard University that teaches about public policy. He became a professor there. In January 2024, it was announced that Foxx would become a co-director of the Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership. He is set to start this new role in July 2024.
Personal Life
Anthony Foxx is married to Samara Ryder. She is also a lawyer. They have two children, a daughter and a son.
See Also
In Spanish: Anthony Foxx para niños
