Rufus Gifford | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 34thChief of Protocol of the United States | |
| In office January 3, 2022 – July 28, 2023 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Cam Henderson |
| Succeeded by | Monica Crowley |
| 62ndUnited States Ambassador to Denmark | |
| In office September 13, 2013 – January 20, 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Laurie Fulton |
| Succeeded by | Carla Sands |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Rufus Gifford (1974-08-05)August 5, 1974 (age 51) Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Parent |
|
| Education | Brown University (BA) |
| Awards | Order of the Dannebrog |
John Rufus Gifford (born August 5, 1974) is an American politician and diplomat who was finance chair of theHarris 2024 presidential campaign since July 2024. He was thechief of protocol of the United States from 2022 to 2023. Between 2013 and 2017, he was theUnited States ambassador to Denmark.
In 2012, Gifford was finance director forBarack Obama's presidential re-election campaign. Once re-elected, Obama nominated him to be theUnited States ambassador to Denmark, a post he held until the end of Obama's presidency. After returning to the United States, he was a candidate for theHouse of Representatives in 2018, running inMassachusetts's 3rd congressional district. Gifford lost in theDemocratic primary toLori Trahan, who won the general election.
He was Deputy Campaign Manager forJoe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign and Finance Chair for2024 presidential campaign.
Gifford grew up inManchester-by-the-Sea,Massachusetts.[1] He graduated fromSt. Paul's School inConcord, New Hampshire, in 1992 and he earned hisBachelor of Arts fromBrown University inRhode Island.[2]
After college, Gifford moved toHollywood and worked as an assistant to producerJohn Davis. During his time there, he became the associate producer forDaddy Day Care,Life or Something Like It, andDr. Dolittle 2, and he appeared as an actor in the filmsGarfield: The Movie andThe Hiding Place.[3]
Gifford started in Democratic politics by working onJohn Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, and subsequently started his own consulting business and advised numerous Democratic officials and advocated for progressive causes across the country.
He first met SenatorBarack Obama in January 2007, at a party hosted by SenatorTed Kennedy. Prior to the meeting, Gifford had been offered a job onHillary Clinton's2008 presidential campaign, but he declined and instead accepted the same job withObama's campaign.[2][4]
After Obama took office, Gifford served as Finance Director for theDemocratic National Committee inWashington, D.C., before moving to Chicago as a senior staff member ofPresident Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. As National Finance Director for the re-election campaign, he was responsible for the record-setting billion-dollar budget.[5]
On August 1, 2013, Gifford's nomination from President Obama to be the next United States ambassador to theKingdom of Denmark was confirmed by theUnited States Senate.[6] He was sworn into the role on August 15, 2013, and presented his credentials to thequeen of Denmark on September 13, 2013.[2]
In his capacity as the ambassador, he helped modernize the transatlantic relationship through youth engagement and institution-building, among other bilateral and global issues. He outlined a diplomatic strategy that prioritized non-traditional audiences and people-to-people relationships. As part of a never-before-seen public diplomacy strategy,[7] he was the subject of the documentary seriesI am the Ambassador, broadcast on the principal public service channel for youth and for several weeks was its most watched program. Its first season tracked his professional and personal life over three months in six episodes, including a conversation withMitt Romney, a screening of anHBO film for the Danish film industry, and his own 40th birthday party.[8] When it was renewed for a second season, Gifford made the announcement himself speaking Danish in a video posted onFacebook.[9] The series won the Big Character award at the 2015TV-Prisen [da] award-show.[10][11][12]
As Ambassador, he traveled toGreenland for bilateral meetings on climate change, promoted counter-extremism initiatives and Danish–American trade, and worked to maintain Danish military support inIraq andAfghanistan. In 2016, he accompaniedU.S. secretary of transportationAnthony Foxx, several American mayors (including later U.S. secretary of transportationPete Buttigieg), as well as Danish transport ministerHans Christian Schmidt on a bike ride aroundCopenhagen to showcase its success as a "cyclist-friendly city".[13]
Gifford was an integral part of bringing the American art form of Long Form Improvisation to Denmark. In September 2016, he appeared in the premiere performance at the first improv theatre in Denmark, Improv Comedy Copenhagen. He said, "No matter what you are doing, you always have to allow time to laugh, smile and have fun. And creating that balance is incredibly important."[14][15] Gifford served as an honorary board member of the American-Danish Business Council.[16]
On January 16, 2017, Gifford was awarded the Grand Cross of theOrder of the Dannebrog by Her MajestyQueen Margrethe II of Denmark for his "meritorious service to the Kingdom of Denmark".[17]
His service in Denmark ended upon the inauguration of PresidentDonald Trump, who allowed no US ambassadors to continue to serve under his administration.[18]
On November 13, 2017, Gifford announced onTwitter that he was running for Congress inMassachusetts's 3rd congressional district in the2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts.[19] Gifford was endorsed byU.S. senatorsTim Kaine andSherrod Brown as well asValerie Jarrett. In the primary election, Gifford received 12,796 votes, or about 15%, coming in fifth in the 10-way race. His opponent in the primary,Lori Trahan, went on to win the general election on November 6, 2018.[20][21]
In August 2019, when President Trump expressed an interest in buying Greenland from Denmark, Gifford tweeted: "Oh dear lord... as someone who loves Greenland, has been there 9 times to every corner and loves the people, this is a complete and total catastrophe."[22]
On January 24, 2020, Gifford endorsedJoe Biden for president in the2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[23][a] By the end of the month he was named to the campaign's national finance committee.[26] On April 29, 2020, it was announced that Biden was hiring Gifford to be Deputy Campaign Manager on hispresidential campaign. According to theWashington Post, Gifford was to focus on "finance, external outreach and coalition building".[27] TheNew York Times reported this was seen as "elevating the role of the finance operation inside the campaign".[28] In March he assessed the challenges theCOVID-19 pandemic posed for fundraising: "I think Biden's campaign will end up being fine. The low-dollar fundraising will be there. My big concern is Democratic National Committee fundraising and state party fundraising. Those are so reliant on major donor fundraising and on events.... People are going to want to give to their local food bank and hospital and EMT staff—as they should. So it's harder to make the argument during this time to invest in a politician. The worst thing you can do right now is to be tone-deaf in the way you are approaching fundraising."[29] As the campaign proceeded his responsibilities were both administrative, "coordinating a slew of virtual fund-raisers", and hands-on, staying "in regular touch with Wall Street donors ... and discussing campaign issues with deep-pocketed financiers".[30]
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In January 2021,Axios reported that Biden would tap Gifford to beChief of Protocol of the United States.[31] He was officially nominated by Biden on May 28, 2021.[32] The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on his nomination on July 27, 2021 and the committee reported his nomination favorably on August 4, 2021. The full Senate confirmed Gifford on December 18, 2021, viavoice vote.[33] He was sworn in on January 3, 2022.
Gifford resigned as Chief of Protocol in July 2023 to assume a position on the Biden 2024 presidential campaign.[34]
In July 17, 2023, Biden's campaign announced Gifford's appointment as Finance Chair.[35]
Gifford is gay, and commentators fromGQ,Huffington Post, andL.A. Weekly referred to him as Barack Obama's informal "ambassador to the gay community".[36][37] He discussed coming out as gay on the Danish TV series that chronicled his life while ambassador.[8] He married his husband, Stephen DeVincent, aveterinarian, on October 10, 2015, in a ceremony atCopenhagen City Hall inCopenhagen,Denmark.[38] They live inConcord, Massachusetts.[1] In 2016, Gifford co-wrote a cookbook with his husband, calledThe Ambassador's Kitchen.[39] He is a federal club member of theHuman Rights Campaign and a partner in conservation for theWorld Wildlife Fund.[40]
Gifford is the son ofCharles K. Gifford, a banker who was chairman ofBank of America.[41] Gifford is a cousin of former ice hockey player and current broadcasterA. J. Mleczko.[42]
| Country | Date | Honour | Grade of Honour | Ribbon | Post-nominal letters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | January 16, 2017 | Order of the Dannebrog | Grand Cross |  | SK |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Denmark 2013–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of Protocol of the United States 2022–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Chargé d'Affaires |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Minister Resident | ||
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
