Clayton Yeutter

Ambassador Clayton Yeutter practices in the international trade and food and agriculture areas. He came to the firm in 1993, after having served in cabinet and sub-cabinet posts under four U.S. Presidents. Ambassador Yeutter served as U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) from 1985-88, and while there led the American team in negotiating the historic U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement, the precursor to the North American Free Trade Agreement. He also helped launch the most ambitious trade negotiation in history, the 100-nation Uruguay Round, which culminated in the creation of the World Trade Organization. While USTR, Ambassador Yeutter broadened the U.S. trade agenda to encompass for the first time serious global negotiations in services, intellectual property, and agriculture. In 1989 Ambassador Yeutter was named Secretary of Agriculture. In that post he steered the 1990 Farm Bill through Congress, laying the groundwork for a far more market-oriented policy structure in American agriculture. In 1991 he was elected Republican National Committee Chairman, and a year later President Bush persuaded him to return to the administration in a Cabinet-level post as Counselor to the President. From 1978-85 Ambassador Yeutter served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. His tenure there was marked by innovation and growth which contributed to its evolution into one of the largest financial institutions in the world. Earlier in his career, Ambassador Yeutter held two Assistant Secretary of Agriculture posts under President Nixon and then served as Deputy Special Trade Representative under President Ford. He had previously been the Director of one of the world’s largest agriculture technical assistance programs in Colombia, South America, after having served as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Nebraska. Ambassador Yeutter presently serves as a Director of several major corporations, all of which are deeply involved in international commerce or international finance. He also is a frequent speaker and has written scores of articles and op eds, primarily on trade policy and agricultural policy.