Zoë Baird
Encyclopedia
Zoë Eliot Baird is an American
lawyer who is president of the Markle Foundation
. She is most known for her role in the Nannygate
matter of 1993.
in political science
in 1974 from the University of California, Berkeley
and a J.D.
in 1977 from the Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley
. She clerked for U.S. District Judge Albert C. Wollenberg from 1977 to 1978.
From 1980 until 1981 she was Associate Counsel to President Jimmy Carter
. She also worked as Attorney-Advisor at the Office of Legal Counsel
at the U.S. Department of Justice from 1979 to 1980. Baird married Yale Law School
professor Paul Gewirtz
and the couple had two sons.
She worked as a partner at the law firm O’Melveny & Myers, Washington, DC from 1981 to 1986.
She was counselor and staff executive at General Electric
from 1986 to 1990.
She was general counsel
and senior vice president of Aetna
from 1992 to 1996.
She was Bill Clinton
's first unsuccessful nominee for United States Attorney General
in 1993. Baird withdrew her name from consideration for the position when it was learned that she had hired illegal immigrants to serve as her chauffeur
and nanny
, and neglected to pay their social security
taxes. She paid $2,900 in fines for the infractions. The Nannygate
matter attracted intense public attention, and the question "Do you have a Zoë Baird problem?" became frequently asked by Americans of each other in casual conversation, with many answers being in the affirmative. Other political appointees fell victim to the same issue, and the phrase "to have a Zoë Baird problem" became rooted in the vocabulary of the American professional and political classes.
President Clinton subsequently appointed Baird to the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.
Baird is the president of the Markle Foundation
, which focuses on how to accelerate the use of information technologies to address critical public needs, particularly in the areas of health and national security. For fiscal year 2008, her compensation from this tax exempt charitable organization was recorded as $505,750.00, in the Form 990-PF filed by Markle.
Baird serves on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Chubb Corporation, Boston Properties
, and the Brookings Institution
.
She married William Budinger in 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer who is president of the Markle Foundation
Markle Foundation
The Markle Foundation is an organization concerned with technology, health care, and national security.Emerging communications media and information technology create unprecedented opportunity to improve people's lives. The Markle Foundation works to realize this potential and promotes the use of...
. She is most known for her role in the Nannygate
Nannygate
Nannygate was a 1993 political controversy in the United States wherein the nomination of Zoë Baird, and near-nomination of Kimba Wood, for U.S. Attorney General were withdrawn due to the hiring of illegal aliens as nannies or the failure to pay taxes for them...
matter of 1993.
Biography
Baird earned a 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...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in 1974 from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and a 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...
in 1977 from the Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley School of Law
The University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, commonly referred to as Berkeley Law and Boalt Hall, is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley Law is consistently regarded as an elite and prestigious law school...
. She clerked for U.S. District Judge Albert C. Wollenberg from 1977 to 1978.
From 1980 until 1981 she was Associate Counsel to President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
. She also worked as Attorney-Advisor at the Office of Legal Counsel
Office of Legal Counsel
The Office of Legal Counsel is an office in the United States Department of Justice that assists the Attorney General in his function as legal adviser to the President and all executive branch agencies.-History:...
at the U.S. Department of Justice from 1979 to 1980. Baird married Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
professor Paul Gewirtz
Paul Gewirtz
Paul D. Gewirtz is the Potter Stewart Professor of Constitutional Law at Yale Law School and the Director of the China Law Center at Yale.-Biography:...
and the couple had two sons.
She worked as a partner at the law firm O’Melveny & Myers, Washington, DC from 1981 to 1986.
She was counselor and staff executive at General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
from 1986 to 1990.
She was general counsel
General Counsel
A general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...
and senior vice president of Aetna
Aetna
Aetna, Inc. is an American health insurance company, providing a range of traditional and consumer directed health care insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, group life, long-term care, and disability plans, and medical management...
from 1992 to 1996.
She was Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's first unsuccessful nominee for United States Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
in 1993. Baird withdrew her name from consideration for the position when it was learned that she had hired illegal immigrants to serve as her chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
and nanny
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
, and neglected to pay their social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
taxes. She paid $2,900 in fines for the infractions. The Nannygate
Nannygate
Nannygate was a 1993 political controversy in the United States wherein the nomination of Zoë Baird, and near-nomination of Kimba Wood, for U.S. Attorney General were withdrawn due to the hiring of illegal aliens as nannies or the failure to pay taxes for them...
matter attracted intense public attention, and the question "Do you have a Zoë Baird problem?" became frequently asked by Americans of each other in casual conversation, with many answers being in the affirmative. Other political appointees fell victim to the same issue, and the phrase "to have a Zoë Baird problem" became rooted in the vocabulary of the American professional and political classes.
President Clinton subsequently appointed Baird to the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.
Baird is the president of the Markle Foundation
Markle Foundation
The Markle Foundation is an organization concerned with technology, health care, and national security.Emerging communications media and information technology create unprecedented opportunity to improve people's lives. The Markle Foundation works to realize this potential and promotes the use of...
, which focuses on how to accelerate the use of information technologies to address critical public needs, particularly in the areas of health and national security. For fiscal year 2008, her compensation from this tax exempt charitable organization was recorded as $505,750.00, in the Form 990-PF filed by Markle.
Baird serves on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Chubb Corporation, Boston Properties
Boston Properties
Boston Properties, Inc. is a self-managed real estate investment trust based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its primary focus is "Class A" office space which it acquires, develops, and manages in the major markets of Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco...
, and the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
.
She married William Budinger in 2010.
See also
- Kimba WoodKimba WoodKimba Maureen Wood is a United States federal judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.-Early life and education:...
, Bill Clinton's second failed nominee for Attorney General - Janet RenoJanet RenoJanet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...
, the third—successful—nominee, and United States Attorney GeneralUnited States Attorney GeneralThe United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
from 1993 until 2001