Keith Harper (lawyer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keith Harper
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| United States Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council | |
| In office June 5, 2014 – January 20, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Eileen Donahoe |
| Succeeded by | Theodore Allegra, Chargé d'Affaires a.i |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Keith Michael Harper
1965 (age 59–60) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) New York University (JD) |
Keith Michael Harper (born 1965) is an American lawyer and diplomat. He made history as the first Native American to become a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council. He is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. As a lawyer, he is well-known for his work helping Native American communities. From June 2014 to January 2017, he represented the U.S. at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
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Early Life and Education
Even though Keith Harper is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, he did not grow up there. His father was in the military, so his family lived in other places. His ancestors include David Rowe, who was an Assistant Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Rowe also became a judge after the Civil War.
Harper went to the University of California, Berkeley. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and psychology in 1990. After that, he studied law at the New York University School of Law, graduating in 1994. While there, he worked as an editor for a law journal. He became a licensed lawyer in New York the next year.
Legal Career Highlights
After law school, Harper worked for Judge Lawrence W. Pierce. He learned a lot from this experience. He also worked for a law firm in New York called Davis, Polk & Wardwell.
Working for Native American Rights
For eleven years, from 1995 to 2006, Harper was a lawyer at the Native American Rights Fund. He is most famous for his work on the Cobell v. Kempthorne case. This was a very large class-action lawsuit. It was brought by Native American representatives against parts of the U.S. government.
The case started in 1996 and involved over 500,000 Native Americans. It was settled in 2009 when the Obama administration agreed to pay $3.4 billion. This money was to resolve claims that the government had mismanaged funds belonging to Native Americans.
Harper also taught law for a few years. He was a professor at the Catholic University of America and American University.
Partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
Later, he became a partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton in Washington, D.C. There, he focused on lawsuits and issues important to Native Americans. He represented tribes and individual Native Americans.
Harper continued to be a lead lawyer on the Cobell case. The lawyers involved earned a lot of money in fees. Some people questioned these large payments to the lawyers. Harper traveled to different Native American communities to explain the settlement and the lawyer fees.
Serving as a Judge
Harper also served as a judge for Native American tribes. He was a justice on the Appellate Court for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe from 2001 to 2007. After that, he was a justice on the Supreme Court for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians from 2007 to 2008.
Political Involvement
Keith Harper played an important role in the Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008. He helped connect the campaign with Native American tribes. In 2011, President Obama appointed him to the President's Commission on White House Fellowships.
Harper also worked on Obama's re-election campaign in 2012. He helped raise over $500,000 in donations. He hosted events and fundraisers for the campaign. Harper was known as a "mega-bundler," meaning he gathered many donations. He helped Obama receive record amounts of money from Native American supporters.
In 2017, Harper supported Deb Haaland for Congress. Haaland won and became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress.
U.S. Ambassador Role
President Obama nominated Keith Harper to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council on June 10, 2013. This position is a high honor. Many human rights groups did not know much about Harper. His nomination showed that presidents sometimes reward strong supporters with ambassador jobs.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held two hearings to consider his nomination. This happened in September 2013 and February 2014.
Confirmation Process
Some Republican senators did not want Harper to be confirmed. They pointed to his earnings from the Cobell case or his role in Obama's fundraising. Senator John McCain said Harper was not suitable for the diplomatic job. However, Senator Jon Tester supported Harper, saying he would be a great ambassador because he had long fought for the civil rights of Native Americans.
Many Native American groups supported Harper. But some indigenous rights advocates were unsure. They felt Harper had not taken strong public stances on Native American human rights issues during his legal career.
Finally, the United States Senate confirmed Harper on June 3, 2014. This was almost a year after he was nominated. The vote was 52–42, with Democrats supporting him and Republicans opposing. He benefited from a Senate rule change from the year before. This change made it harder for senators to block appointments using a filibuster.
Keith Harper became the first person from a federally recognized Native American tribe to reach the rank of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council. He was sworn in on June 5, 2014, and immediately went to Geneva for a Human Rights Council meeting.
Harper's time as ambassador ended in January 2017, when a new presidential administration took office in Washington.
Return to Law Practice
In February 2017, Harper went back to working as a partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton. He continued to focus on Native American affairs and international issues. In July 2020, he joined another law firm called Jenner & Block.
Awards and Honors
- In May 2008, The National Law Journal named Harper one of the 50 "Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America."
- He has been listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business for several years.
- The Best Lawyers in America recognized him for Native American Law in 2013 and the five years before that.
- Super Lawyers magazine listed him as a Washington, D.C., "Super Lawyer" in Native American Law in 2010, 2012, and 2013.
- Diversity & The Bar magazine chose Harper as one of 14 minority "Rainmakers."
- In 2001, he was chosen as a delegate for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. He attended the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa.
See also
