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Cameron Kerry

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Cameron Kerry
Acting United States Secretary of Commerce
In office
June 1, 2013 – June 26, 2013
President Barack Obama
Deputy Patrick D. Gallagher (acting)
Preceded by Rebecca Blank (acting)
Succeeded by Penny Pritzker
General Counsel of the United States Department of Commerce
In office
May 21, 2009 – September 4, 2013
President Barack Obama
Preceded by Lily Fu Claffee
Succeeded by Kelly R. Welsh
Personal details
Born Cameron Forbes Kerry
September 6, 1950
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Party Democratic
Spouse Kathy Weinman
Relations See Forbes family
Children 2
Parent(s) Richard Kerry
Rosemary Forbes
Education Harvard University (AB)
Boston College (JD)
Profession Attorney and policy researcher

Cameron Forbes Kerry (born September 6, 1950) is an American attorney and policy researcher known for his work on privacy, cross-border data flows, and artificial intelligence governance. He is a distinguished visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. He previously served as general counsel and acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Early life and education

Cameron Forbes Kerry was born in Washington, D.C. He is the fourth child of U.S. diplomat Richard Kerry and Rosemary Forbes of the Forbes family. He is the younger brother of John Kerry.[1] Cameron Kerry graduated from Harvard College in 1972 and Boston College Law School in 1978.

Career

After law school, Kerry served as law clerk to U.S. Senior Circuit Judge Elbert Tuttle from 1978 to 1979. He then joined Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in Washington, D.C as an associate, before moving to Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo in Boston, where he became an associate and partner. He was an adjunct professor of Telecommunications Law at Suffolk University Law School from 1997 to 2002.[2]

Service in the Obama Administration

On April 20, 2009, President Obama nominated Kerry, and on May 21, 2009, he was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate as the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this role, Kerry was the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and third-ranking secretarial officer. He served as the department's chief legal officer and oversaw the work of over 325 lawyers in 14 offices. Kerry also served as the department's chief ethics officer and co-chaired the secretary's Internet Policy Task Force.[3]

Kerry was appointed acting United States Secretary of Commerce on June 1, 2013,[4] and resumed his position as general counsel on June 26, 2013, when Penny Pritzker was sworn in as the 38th Secretary of Commerce. As the General Counsel of the Department of Commerce, Kerry was the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and third-ranking secretarial officer. He resigned his position on September 4, 2013.[5]

Brookings Institution and AI governance

In December 2013, Kerry joined the Governance Studies program and the Center for Technology Innovation as the first Ann R. & Andrew H. Tisch Distinguished Visiting Fellow with the Brookings Institution.[6]

At Brookings, Kerry leads two efforts: The Privacy Debate, a convening and publications series on U.S. privacy legislation,[7] and The Forum for Cooperation on AI (FCAI), a series of roundtables seeking to identify avenues of cooperation on international AI regulation, standards, and research and development.[8]

Kerry co-founded and helps lead FCAI, a collaboration between Brookings and the Centre for European Policy Studies.[9][10]

In 2024, Kerry's report entitled Small yards, big tents: How to build cooperation on critical international standards drew coverage from the American National Standards Institute and policy media for recommending stronger U.S. and allied engagement in international standards bodies.[11][12] In 2025, an essay co‑authored by Kerry argued for a distributed, networked approach to global AI governance and standards and was cited in independent outlets.[10][13]

From 2014 to 2019, Kerry served as senior counsel with Sidley Austin.[14][15]

Kerry has served on the board of the National Archives Foundation since 2018.[16]

Political involvement

Kerry has worked on several of his brother John Kerry's political campaigns. In 1972, he served as strategy director for his brother's congressional campaign. In 1982, he served as campaign director for his brother's campaign for Lieutenant Governor.

During John's 2004 presidential campaign, Kerry traveled across the United States to discuss his brother's views on Israel, campaigning with Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz, writer-comedian Larry David, and Jewish elected officials.[17] According to contemporary news reports, Kerry also served as an advisor and campaign surrogate.[18]

In 2006, Kerry was reported to have considered a run for Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but he declined after the Democratic incumbent William F. Galvin announced that he would seek re-election.[19]

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Kerry served as the vice chair of the National Jewish Democratic Council and defended Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the Jewish press.[20]

Personal life

Kerry is married to Kathy Weinman; they have two daughters.[21] He converted from Roman Catholicism to Judaism in 1983 before marrying Weinman.[22] Kerry's paternal grandparents were Jews émigrés of Austrian-Jewish origins who converted to Catholicism.[23]

References

  1. Back to citation "Cameron F. Kerry". The Washington Post. July 25, 2012. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013.
  2. Back to citation "Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo Biography". Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
  3. Back to citation Profile Archived January 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, commerce.gov; accessed August 5, 2015.
  4. Back to citation "Cameron F. Kerry, Acting Secretary of Commerce". commerce.gov. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  5. Back to citation "Cameron F. Kerry". Office of the Chief Counsel. Department of Commerce. December 11, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  6. Back to citation "Cameron F. Kerry, Former Acting Secretary and General Counsel of Commerce, Joins Brookings as Distinguished Visiting Fellow". Brookings Institution. Retrieved October 6, 2025; "Cameron Kerry". Lawfare. Retrieved October 6, 2025; "In conversation: Cameron Forbes Kerry, Ann R. and Andrew H. Tisch Distinguished Visiting Fellow – Governance Studies, Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings Institution". GC Magazine. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  7. Back to citation "Federal Privacy Law Has Momentum, but There's a Catch – The Markup". The Markup. July 30, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  8. Back to citation "Cameron F. Kerry". Brookings Institution. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  9. Back to citation "The Forum for Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence". Brookings Institution. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  10. Back to citation occurrence 10.0 Back to citation occurrence 10.1 Bean, Randy. "Forging A Global Path to Responsible AI To Achieve a Beneficial AI Future". Forbes. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  11. Back to citation "Standardization News of Note". American National Standards Institute. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  12. Back to citation "Brookings' Kerry details need for collaboration on global AI standards". Inside AI Policy. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  13. Back to citation "Network architecture for global AI policy". The Living Library. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  14. Back to citation "Former US Dept of Commerce GC joins Sidleys". The Global Legal Post. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  15. Back to citation Carson, Angelique (March 26, 2019). "Cam Kerry leaves private practice to work on a federal bill full time". International Association of Privacy Professionals. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  16. Back to citation "Cameron Kerry". National Archives Foundation. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  17. Back to citation Neuman, Johanna (October 29, 2004). "Kerry's entree to Jewish vote". Los Angeles Times.
  18. Back to citation O'Brien, Timothy L. (February 15, 2004). "The 2004 Campaign: The Confidant; Kerry Turns to His Brother For Help on Big Decisions". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  19. Back to citation Phillips, Frank (July 27, 2005). "Kerry's brother mulls a run". The Boston Globe.
  20. Back to citation "Obama is calling to Jews". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012.
  21. Back to citation Luckerman, Sharon (February 12, 2004). "John Kerry's Jewish Brother". Jewish Journal.
  22. Back to citation "Cameron Kerry and his in-laws talk of the Democratic frontrunner". Detroit Jewish News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2006.
  23. Back to citation Kranish, Michael (June 15, 2003). "A privileged youth, a taste for risk". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 17, 2022.

Bibliography

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