Richard Cordray

Richard Cordray (born May 3, 1959) is an American Democratic Party politician, who is serving as the Director of the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which officially began operating in July 2011. Prior to his appointment in January 2012, Cordray served as the Attorney General of Ohio.

On July 17, 2011, President Barack Obama announced he would nominate Cordray to lead the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. On January 4, 2012, the White House announced that it would make a recess appointment of Cordray to the post.

Cordray was elected Attorney General of Ohio in November 2008 to fill the remainder of the unexpired term ending January 2011. On November 2, 2010, Cordray lost his bid for re-election to former Lt. Governor and U.S. Senator Mike DeWine. Prior to his Attorney General position, Cordray served as the Ohio State Treasurer and as treasurer of Franklin County, Ohio. He has also previously served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives (1991–1993) and as the first Ohio state solicitor (1993–1994).

Cordray was a Marshall Scholar at Oxford University, 1981–83. Later, he was editor-in-chief of the University of Chicago Law Review and subsequently served as a law clerk for Judge Robert Bork on the U.S. Court for the District of Columbia Circuit (1986 - 87 term), and after that, Justice Anthony Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1987 he became an undefeated five-time Jeopardy! champion.

After the 1990 census, the district he represented in the Ohio House of Representatives in 1992 was merged with another district held by a Democratic incumbent. Cordray decided to run for a United States House of Representatives seat but did not win the election. The following year he was appointed by the Ohio attorney general as the first Ohio state solicitor. His experience as Solicitor led to his appearance before the United States Supreme Court to argue six cases, where he had previously clerked. Following Republican victories in Ohio statewide elections in 1994, Cordray left his appointed position and entered the private practice of law. He was elected Franklin County treasurer in 2002. While in private practice he unsuccessfully ran for Ohio attorney general in 1998 and United States senator in 2000. Cordray won re-election as Franklin County treasurer before being elected state treasurer in 2006.