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Philip Klutznick | |
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| 25thUnited States Secretary of Commerce | |
| In office January 9, 1980 – January 19, 1981 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Juanita M. Kreps |
| Succeeded by | Malcolm Baldrige Jr. |
| President of theWorld Jewish Congress | |
| In office 1977–1979 | |
| Preceded by | Nahum Goldmann |
| Succeeded by | Edgar Bronfman |
| 2nd Grand Aleph Godol ofAleph Zadik Aleph | |
| In office 1925–1926 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Shane |
| Succeeded by | Jacob Fink |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Philip Morris Klutznick (1907-07-09)July 9, 1907 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | August 14, 1999(1999-08-14) (aged 92) |
| Political party | Democratic[1] |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | University of Kansas, Lawrence University of Nebraska Creighton University(LLB) |
Philip Morris Klutznick (July 9, 1907 – August 14, 1999) was aU.S.administrator who served asU.S. Secretary of Commerce from January 9, 1980, to January 19, 1981, underPresidentJimmy Carter. He was a prominent leader of several Jewish organisations, including as president of theWorld Jewish Congress from 1977 to 1979.
Klutznick was born on July 9, 1907, inKansas City, Missouri, the son of Morris and Minnie Klutznick, who had emigrated fromRussian Poland two years earlier. In 1924, Klutznick participated in the formation of the second chapter of the Jewish fraternal youth organizationAleph Zadik Aleph (AZA). He became the 2nd Grand Aleph Godol (International Teen President) of the expanding organization in 1925. After high school, he became the first executive director of AZA.
He attended theUniversity of Kansas atLawrence and theUniversity of Nebraska and received an LL.B. degree in 1930 fromCreighton University inOmaha, Nebraska.[1] After school, he worked as an attorney and became involved in housing construction. DuringWorld War II, he was responsible for building homes for defense workers in the eastern United States including the construction of the residential town ofOak Ridge, Tennessee, where parts of theatomic bomb were being developed in theManhattan Project. After the war, he built suburban shopping malls in theChicago area in partnership with the Chicago department store chain,Marshall Field & Company.[1]
Klutznick's career in public service advanced along with his success in business. After World War II, he joined American Community Developers to create Park Forest, a suburb south of Chicago.[2] In 1953, he was elected to the first of two three-year terms as president ofB'nai B'rith.[1] His presidency focused on strengthening the century-old organization's internal structure and expanding its constituency. He visited B'nai B'rith districts worldwide and worked to strengthen lodges in post-warEurope andIsrael. Domestically, he instituted a membership drive, expanded support for youth programs and travelled in theSouthern United States to discuss B'nai B'rith support forschool desegregation and the growingcivil rights movement.
Klutznick was also active in international affairs. In 1957, he served a three-month term as a United Nations delegate. He gained the rank of ambassador as US representative on the UN Economic and Social Council in 1960, working closely withUnited States Ambassador to the United NationsAdlai Stevenson II. Klutznick resigned his UN post two years later, contending that a failure to integrate political goals with economic and social needs undermined the effectiveness of international diplomacy. In later years, he remained active in international affairs, completing a survey of Brazilian housing for theJohnson administration, writing and speaking frequently on international issues and working with theUnited Nations Association of the United States of America.
Klutznick had a special interest in theMiddle East and inIsrael–United States relations. As B'nai B'rith president, he travelled to Israel and advocated the use of German reparations funds to support Jewish organizations. He was among the American Jewish leaders to meet with PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower'sSecretary of StateJohn Foster Dulles to discuss Middle Eastern policy and events. In 1977, Klutznick became president of the World Jewish Congress, succeedingNahum Goldmann who had led the group since 1949. During negotiations that preceded the 1977Camp David Accords, Klutznick met with Israeli leaderMenachem Begin, Egyptian PresidentAnwar Sadat, andJimmy Carter, as well as other US administration officials. In 1978, Klutznick initiated a commission headed byGuy de Rothschild to examine the economic implications of Arab-Israeli peace for Israel and the international Jewish community. Another focus of his leadership was Jewish culture, demonstrated in efforts to strengthen and reorganize the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture andBeit Hatfutsot, the museum of the Jewish diaspora. Klutznick's service as WJC President was brief. He took a leave of absence upon his confirmation vote as Secretary of Commerce in 1979, and chose to leave the position to his replacement,Edgar Bronfman, Sr, after leaving the government.
Klutznick's views on Middle Eastern issues were often controversial in the American and international Jewish communities. He considered himself aZionist, and a strong defender of Israel, but encouraged dialogue with Arab groups and leaders. In 1975, he served on a "Middle East Study Group", sponsored by theBrookings Institution, which produced a report encouraging both Israeli and Arab concessions and active involvement by the US government. In 1981, he travelled to Israel,Saudi Arabia,Jordan,Syria,Egypt andthe West Bank as part of a private group to meet with leaders in government, education, military affairs, business and communications, as well as political dissidents. The resulting "Seven Springs Report" attempted to provide a base of knowledge and understanding for the conduct of future negotiations and peace plans. In June 1982, Klutznick joined with Nahum Goldmann, former president of the World Jewish Congress, andPierre Mendès France, formerprime minister of France, to issue the "Paris Declaration", encouraging an end to Israel'ssiege of Beirut and negotiation with thePalestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to ensure regional peace and security. Klutznick's involvement in each of these reports and statements prompted both widespread support and protest from Jewish organizations and individuals.
In January 1980, Klutznick began service asU.S. Secretary of Commerce under 39th PresidentJimmy Carter. He took office at the age of 72, making him the oldest first-time appointee to cabinet in U.S. history.[3] That record was broken in 2017 whenWilbur Ross became Secretary of Commerce at the age of 79. Klutznick had long-standing relationships withVice-PresidentWalter Mondale andU.S. Secretary of State,Cyrus Vance and his ties to the Carter administration were further strengthened by his significant role in Arab-Israeli peace talks. His appointment was viewed by some critics as an effort to strengthen Carter's status among Jewish voters. Klutznick's tenure was marked by the economic recession and inflation that characterized the later years of the Carter administration, Carter's unsuccessful bid for re-election, and the completion of the 1980 census.
Klutznick married Ethel Riekes in 1930. They had six children, Bettylu, Richard, who died in early childhood, Thomas, James, Robert and Samuel. Ethel Klutznick died in 1996. Philip M. Klutznick died of Alzheimer's disease on August 14, 1999.[1]
He served as president of theChicago Bulls franchise in 1973.
His daughter, Bettylu Saltzman, is widely credited with helping launch President Barack Obama's political career. She introduced the then-community organizer toDavid Axelrod in 1992.[4]
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| Preceded by | U.S. Secretary of Commerce Served under:Jimmy Carter January 9, 1980 – January 19, 1981 | Succeeded by |
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