Jay B. Stephens | |
|---|---|
| United States Associate Attorney General | |
| In office 2001–2002 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Daniel Marcus |
| Succeeded by | Peter Keisler (acting) |
| United States Attorney for the District of Columbia | |
| In office 1988–1993 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Timothy J. Reardon III (acting) |
| Succeeded by | J. Ramsey Johnson (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1946-11-05)November 5, 1946 (age 79) Akron, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Harvard University (BA,JD) |
Jay B. Stephens (born November 5, 1946) is an American attorney who served as PresidentGeorge W. Bush's firstAssociate Attorney General.
Stephens grew up on a livestock and grain farm in northwest Iowa.[1] He graduated fromHarvard College in 1968 andHarvard Law School in 1973.[2] After law school, he spent a year as an associate atWilmer, Cutler & Pickering and then served as an assistant special prosecutor on theWatergate prosecution team from 1974 to 1975. From 1976 to 1977, he was an associate general counsel at theOverseas Private Investment Corporation. He then spent four years as anAssistant United States Attorney inWashington, D.C., before moving to theJustice Department, where he served in various capacities from 1981 to 1986. In 1986, he was appointed DeputyWhite House Counsel.
In 1988, Stephens was nominated and confirmed asUnited States Attorney for the District of Columbia. He served in that position through the end of theGeorge H. W. Bush administration, overseeing the beginning of the prosecution of RepresentativeDan Rostenkowski. On March 24, 1993, PresidentBill Clinton's new Attorney General,Janet Reno, demanded the resignation of all United States Attorneys; the Clinton administration is the first and only administration to do this in over 243 years. Stephens suggested Reno was attempting to impede the investigation of Rostenkowski, aDemocrat,[3] but the prosecution continued under his successors and Rostenkowski pled guilty in 1994. After resigning, Stephens became a partner in the D.C. office ofPillsbury, Madison & Sutro.[4] From 1997 to 2001, he was a Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel forHoneywell.
WhenGeorge W. Bush became president, he nominated Stephens to beUnited States Associate Attorney General, and the Senate confirmed him on November 8, 2001.[5] On September 27, 2002, he announced his resignation, effective October 7, to become Senior Vice President and General Counsel atRaytheon. He left Raytheon in 2015 and is currentlyof counsel atKirkland & Ellis.[6]