William M. Daley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William M. Daley
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Official portrait, 2011
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| 24th White House Chief of Staff | |
| In office January 13, 2011 – January 27, 2012 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Pete Rouse (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Jack Lew |
| 32nd United States Secretary of Commerce | |
| In office January 30, 1997 – July 19, 2000 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Mickey Kantor |
| Succeeded by | Norman Mineta |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Michael Daley
August 8, 1948 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Bernadette Keller |
| Children | 4 |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | John P. Daley (brother) Richard M. Daley (brother) Patrick Daley Thompson (nephew) Patrick R. Daley (nephew) |
| Education | Loyola University Chicago (BA) John Marshall Law School (Chicago) (JD) |
William Michael Daley (born August 8, 1948) is an American lawyer and politician. He is known for serving as the 24th White House Chief of Staff for President Barack Obama from 2011 to 2012. Before that, he was the 32nd U.S. Secretary of Commerce for President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2000.
Daley has also worked in banking and business. He was a candidate for Governor of Illinois in 2014 and for Mayor of Chicago in 2019. His family has a long history in Chicago politics.
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Early Life and Education
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William M. Daley was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 8, 1948. He is the youngest of seven children. His father was Richard J. Daley, a famous Mayor of Chicago. His brother, Richard M. Daley, also became Mayor of Chicago. Another brother, John P. Daley, was an Illinois legislator.
William Daley went to St. Ignatius College Prep. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University Chicago. Later, he received a law degree (J.D.) from John Marshall Law School. He worked as a lawyer in a private firm for several years.
Working in Business and Government
William Daley has had an interesting career in both business and government. He often helped lead large companies and advised presidents.
Early Business Roles
Daley worked at the Amalgamated Bank of Chicago. He was the vice chairman and then the president and chief operating officer. This means he helped run the bank's daily operations. After that, he returned to practicing law.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton chose Daley to join the board of Fannie Mae. This is a large company that helps people buy homes. He served on this board until 1997.
Secretary of Commerce
From 1997 to 2000, Daley served as the United States Secretary of Commerce. In this important role, he worked to help American businesses grow and trade with other countries. He supported the growth of online business, known as e-commerce. He also helped manage the 2000 census, which counts everyone in the U.S. During his time, the U.S. economy was very strong, creating many new jobs.
After his time as Secretary of Commerce, Daley worked for several major companies. He was president of SBC Communications and later became Midwest Chairman for JPMorgan Chase. He also served on the boards of companies like Boeing and Merck & Co..
Political Career Highlights
Daley has been involved in politics for many years, helping with campaigns and serving in high-level government positions.
Working with President Clinton
In 1993, William Daley became a special advisor to President Bill Clinton. He played a key role in getting the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) passed. This agreement made it easier for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to trade with each other. Daley worked hard to get support from different political groups for NAFTA.
His work on NAFTA showed he was a skilled negotiator. It helped him become Secretary of Commerce later on. As Secretary, he focused on boosting U.S. exports and improving trade.
Presidential Campaigns
Daley left his role as Secretary of Commerce to help Al Gore's campaign for president in 2000. He was the general chairman for Gore's campaign.
In 2008, Daley supported Barack Obama during his presidential campaign. After Obama won, Daley was part of the team that helped prepare for the new presidency.
White House Chief of Staff
On January 6, 2011, President Barack Obama chose William Daley to be his next White House Chief of Staff. This is one of the most powerful jobs in the White House. The Chief of Staff manages the White House staff and helps the president with daily decisions. Daley started this job on January 13, 2011.
During his time as Chief of Staff, Daley spoke for the Obama administration on important issues. For example, he discussed using oil reserves if rising prices threatened the economy.
Daley was present in the famous White House Situation Room photograph taken on May 1, 2011. This photo showed the U.S. national security team watching the mission to find Osama bin Laden. He also joined President Obama on a visit to the United Kingdom.
Daley announced in October 2011 that he planned to return to Chicago after President Obama's re-election. He resigned as Chief of Staff on January 9, 2012. Jack Lew took over his role.
Later Political Campaigns
After leaving the Obama administration, Daley considered running for Governor of Illinois in 2014. He officially started an exploratory committee and received support from people like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. However, he later decided to leave the race due to the difficulties of running a campaign.
In 2018, Daley helped manage the finances for another candidate for Illinois Governor.
Running for Chicago Mayor
In 2018, Daley announced he would run for Mayor of Chicago. This election was special because his family had run in many Chicago mayoral elections before. His father and brother had both served as mayor for many years.
Daley suggested ideas like exploring a "commuter tax" and reducing the size of the Chicago City Council. He received support from the city's business community and several newspapers. He also raised a lot of money for his campaign.
In the election, Daley came in third place. This meant he did not move on to the final round of voting.
Personal Life
William Daley married Bernadette Keller in 2010. Bernadette is involved in health ethics and is a founding member of the Chicago Transplant Ethics Consortium.
The couple previously owned an apartment in Chicago, which they sold in 2015. They now live in a condo on North Lake Shore Drive. William Daley has four children and three granddaughters, all of whom live in Chicago.
