Christopher, Warren Minor (1925-2011), served as United States secretary of state under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. His roles as secretary included negotiations to settle disputes between warring sides in Bosnia. Christopher had served as deputy secretary of state under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. In that position, he acted as chief negotiator for the release of a group of Americans held hostage in Iran.
From 1967 to 1969, Christopher was deputy attorney general under President Lyndon B. Johnson. In that post, he managed federal efforts to restore order in Chicago and Detroit after riots broke out in predominantly black areas of those cities. In 1991, he headed a commission that investigated the use of force by the Los Angeles police against minorities. The investigation followed an incident in which white Los Angeles police officers beat Rodney G. King, a black motorist stopped after a pursuit.
In 2000, Christopher represented Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign as an observer of vote recounts in Florida. The outcome of the election was in doubt for weeks because it was not clear which candidate had carried Florida. Texas Governor George W. Bush was eventually declared the winner in Florida, and so Gore lost the election.
Christopher was born on Oct. 27, 1925, in Scranton, North Dakota. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California in 1945 and a law degree from Stanford University in 1949. He practiced law in Los Angeles when not in government service. Christopher died on March 18, 2011.
