Norman L. Eisen
Encyclopedia
Norman L. Eisen is the current United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic
, the position which he assumed on January 28, 2011. However, his appointment is temporary and shall not last more than one year (if not confirmed by the Senate).
Eisen received his B.A.
from Brown University
in 1985 and his J.D.
from Harvard Law School
in 1991, both with honors. He practised law
in Washington
for over 18 years before joining the transitional team of then-President-elect Barack Obama
. On January 20, 2009, he was named Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform in the administration.
In 2003, he co-founded Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
(CREW), a government watchdog organization.
He earned his nickname Mr. No for his plan that became known for provisions banning registered lobbyists from taking positions in the administration.
Eisen is to become the first Ambassador to the country
nominated by President Obama. The preceding Ambassador, Richard Graber, left the country on the day President George W. Bush's
second term expired and there was no Ambassador for more than two years. The US diplomatic mission in Prague was headed by chargé d'affaires
.
His parents are American Jewish immigrants and Holocaust survivors. The mother, who was in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, is originally from Czechoslovakia
, the father from Poland
.
Eisen is married to Lindsay Kaplan, an associate professor at Georgetown University
. The couple has one daughter, Tamar.
United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic
Following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918 at the end of The Great War, the Bohemians, Moravians, and Slovaks united to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia...
, the position which he assumed on January 28, 2011. However, his appointment is temporary and shall not last more than one year (if not confirmed by the Senate).
Eisen received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 1985 and his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1991, both with honors. He practised law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for over 18 years before joining the transitional team of then-President-elect Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. On January 20, 2009, he was named Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform in the administration.
In 2003, he co-founded Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is a nonprofit 501 organization that describes itself as "dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials – regardless of party affiliation – who sacrifice the common good to...
(CREW), a government watchdog organization.
He earned his nickname Mr. No for his plan that became known for provisions banning registered lobbyists from taking positions in the administration.
Eisen is to become the first Ambassador to the country
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
nominated by President Obama. The preceding Ambassador, Richard Graber, left the country on the day President George W. Bush's
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
second term expired and there was no Ambassador for more than two years. The US diplomatic mission in Prague was headed by chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
.
His parents are American Jewish immigrants and Holocaust survivors. The mother, who was in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, is originally from Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, the father from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Eisen is married to Lindsay Kaplan, an associate professor at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. The couple has one daughter, Tamar.