John D Holum

John D. Holum was dual-hatted as the Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs on Dec. 15, 1997. The Arms Control and Disarmament Agency will be fully integrated with the Department of State as part of the reinvention of the agencies which implement the nation’s foreign policy, at which time the two positions will be merged as Under Secretary/Senior Adviser to the President and Secretary of State. Mr. Holum, who was sworn in as ACDA Director on Nov. 22, 1993, serves as the principal adviser to the President and the Secretary of State on the full range of arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament matters. He advocates arms control as a main pillar of U.S. national security, and ensures that arms control is fully integrated into the development and conduct of U.S. national security policy. Mr. Holum served as a defense and foreign policy adviser in the 1992 Clinton Presidential Campaign and assisted in the Clinton Presidential Transition. He also served as Executive Director of the Platform drafting committee and the platform committee for the 1992 Democratic National Convention. From 1981 until his swearing in as ACDA Director, he practiced law in the Washington office of O’Melveny & Myers, concentrating on regulatory and international matters. He served on the Policy Planning Staff in the Department of State from 1979 to 1981, working on arms control and legal issues. From 1965 to 1979, Mr. Holum was a member of Senator George McGovern’s staff where he served as legislative director and managed the Senator’s work on the Foreign Relations Committee. He served as issues director for Senator McGovern in the 1972 presidential primaries, and as chief speechwriter in the general election campaign. Born December 4, 1940 in Highmore, South Dakota, Mr. Holum grew up on a family farm. His undergraduate education at Northern State Teachers College was in mathematics and physical sciences. Mr. Holum earned his J.D., with honors, at George Washington University School of Law in 1970. Mr. Holum is married to Barbara P. Holum, a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and has one daughter, Tracy Lynn. He enjoys sailing, flying, scuba diving, and playing bluegrass/country music.