Mortimer L. Downey
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Mortimer L. Downey | |
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6th United States Deputy Secretary of Transportation | |
In office May 28, 1993 – January 20, 2001 | |
President | Bill Clinton |
Secretary | Federico Peña Rodney E. Slater |
Preceded by | James B. Busey IV |
Succeeded by | Michael P. Jackson |
Personal details | |
Born | Mortimer Leo Downey, III August 9, 1936 Springfield, Massachusetts |
Political party | Democratic Party |
Spouse(s) | Joyce Vander Meyden, Oct. 21, 1961 |
Children | Stephen Michael, Christopher Sean |
Parent(s) | Mortimer L. and Elizabeth (Carlin) Downey |
Residence | Oakton, Virginia |
Education | |
Website | Chairman of PB World - Strategic Consulting |
[1] | |
Mortimer Leo Downey III (born August 9, 1936) was the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation from 1993 to 2001, making him the longest-serving person to ever hold the post. Downey was originally appointed to the position at the beginning of the Clinton administration, and additionally served as Acting Secretary of Transportation for the first four days of the Bush administration, from January 21, 2001 to January 24, 2001. Prior to his service as Deputy Secretary of Transportation, he was executive director and chief financial officer of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), where he was instrumental in creating and successfully orchestrating the critically, complex and much needed multi-agency capital plan and subsequent updates. During the Carter Administration, from 1977 to 1981, Downey served in the Department of Transportation as Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs. Prior to that appointment, Downey was the first transportation program analyst for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget. He also held various positions at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
He was on the Obama transition team, and the subject of speculation as a possible Secretary of Transportation in the Obama Administration.[2]
Downey serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and served as Board Chair from January 2015–January 2016.[3][4] An alumnus of Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Downey graduated magna cum laude from Yale University in 1958, and received a master's of public administration from New York University in 1966. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, attaining the rank of lieutenant commander. Following completion of his service as Deputy Secretary of Transportation in 2001, Downey became a transportation consultant.
References
- ^ "Mortimer Leo Downey, III." Marquis Who's Who TM. Marquis Who's Who, 2010. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2010. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Document Number: K2014979340 . Access date 20910-08-09. Fee. Via Fairfax County Public Library
- ^ "In Transition: Transportation Secretary". Washington Post. November 25, 2008. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- ^ "Metro - About Metro - Biographies". Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority. Archived from the original on 2011-03-02. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- ^ Tyson, Ann Scott (January 24, 2010). "2 federal representatives to be named to Metro board Sunday". Washington Post. p. C1. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
External links
- BLP articles lacking sources from December 2010
- All BLP articles lacking sources
- Pages using infobox officeholder with unknown parameters
- People appearing on C-SPAN
- Living people
- United States Secretaries of Transportation
- Phillips Academy alumni
- Yale University alumni
- Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service alumni
- Harvard Business School alumni
- 1936 births
- People from Oakton, Virginia
- Politicians from Springfield, Massachusetts
- Virginia Democrats
- United States Coast Guard officers
- Carter administration personnel
- Clinton administration personnel
- Employees of the United States House of Representatives
- United States Deputy Secretaries of Transportation
- 2023 deaths