| Samuel Knox Skinner | |
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| In office February 6, 1989 – December 15, 1991 |
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| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | James H. Burnley IV |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Card |
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| In office December 16, 1991 – August 23, 1992 |
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| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | John H. Sununu |
| Succeeded by | James Baker |
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| Born | June 10, 1938 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | Thomas V. Skinner Jane Skinner William C. Skinner Samuel J. Skinner |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois DePaul University |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1960-1961 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
Samuel Knox Skinner (born June 10, 1938) is an American politician, lawyer and businessman. Skinner served as U.S. Secretary of Transportation and White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush.
Skinner was instrumental in developing President Bush's National Transportation Policy and the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), which served as the catalyst for the whole ITS industry.
In that capacity, he served as chief executive officer of a cabinet-level federal department with a budget of over $30 billion and a workforce of 105,000 people. As Secretary, Skinner was credited with numerous successes, including the development of the President's National Transportation Policy and the passage of landmark aviation and surface transportation legislation.
He also developed the "open skies" policy of the United States that liberalized U.S. international policy and significantly increased the number of international flights to and from the U.S. In addition, Mr. Skinner acted as the President's point person in numerous crisis situations, including the Eastern Air Lines strike, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the northern California earthquake, Hurricane Hugo, and the 1991 national rail strike. Washingtonian magazine twice gave Mr. Skinner its highest ranking for his performance as Secretary of Transportation.
From 1977 to 1989, Skinner practiced law as a senior partner in the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin, where he served on the firm's executive committee. From 1984 to 1988, while practicing law full-time, he also served as Chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority of northeastern Illinois, the nation's second largest mass transportation district. Also during that time, President Reagan appointed Mr. Skinner as Vice Chairman of the President's Commission on Organized Crime.
From 1968 to 1975, Skinner served in the office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and, in 1975, President Gerald Ford appointed Mr. Skinner United States Attorney.
Skinner held various sales and management positions with the IBM Corporation from 1960 to 1968. In 1967, IBM selected him Outstanding Salesman of the Year.
He was President of Commonwealth Edison, CEO of US Freightways, on the board of directors of Odetics ITS, and on the board of directors of Dade Behring. Skinner also practiced with the Chicago-based law firm Hopkins & Sutter. He is currently a shareholder (partner) with the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, LLP, and a Commissioner of the Department of Defense's Base Realignment and Closure Commission, as well as an Adjunct Professor of Management and Strategy at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Skinner graduated from the University of Illinois in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science in accounting. He served as a lieutenant and a tank platoon leader in the United States Army in 1960-1961. He graduated from DePaul University Law School in 1966, where he served on the law review.
Skinner has been involved in the Boy Scouts most of his life, has earned the Eagle Scout as a youth and was honored the with Distinguished Eagle Scout Award and Silver Buffalo Award as an adult.
Skinner is the father of Thomas V. Skinner, former head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's national compliance program and director of the EPA's region 5, Steven Skinner, CEO of KemperSports Management, and Jane Skinner, a reporter on Fox News Channel and wife of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. In his second marriage, he had two sons, William and Samuel.
References
- Gattuso, James L. (1990). "Heritage Foundation Policy Research and Analysis". Sam Skinner's Sensible National Transportation Strategy. Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/Research/SmartGrowth/bg750.cfm. Retrieved 17 February 2006.
- Warde, Anne (1999). "Heritage Foundation Policy Research and Analysis". Sam Skinner joins Board of Odetics ITS. Its America. http://www.itsa.org/itsnews.nsf/0/e7119e4b5c736b9885256769005df136?OpenDocument. Retrieved 17 February 2006.
- "Sam Skinner". NNDB database. http://www.nndb.com/people/354/000094072/. Retrieved February 20, 2006.
External links
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by James H. Burnley IV |
U.S. Secretary of Transportation February 6, 1989 – December 13, 1991 |
Succeeded by Andrew Card |
| Preceded by John H. Sununu |
White House Chief of Staff December, 1991 – August, 1992 |
Succeeded by James Baker |
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