Lawyer is America’s New Ambassador to Norway
One of Barack Obama’s supporters from his presidential campaign, Boston lawyer Barry B. White (66), has been nominated for the job as ambassador to Norway.
“Barry brings commitment and effort to this position, and I am grateful that he will be part of our administration in this important time. I am looking forward to working with him in the coming months and years,” President Obama said when he nominated the business lawyer Friday night.
Barry B. White remains silent, because he still has to be approved by the Senate.
A question presented by Aftenposten to White: "Do you have any personal or business relationships in Norway, and are you looking forward to moving to Oslo?"
“I have a son who is a reporter at the Washington Post, so I understand your question, but before the Senate has approved my nomination I cannot comment,” was White’s diplomatic answer to every question Aftenposten tried to ask him.
To his local paper, the Boston Globe, he is almost as secretive, but said it is an honor to be nominated to represent the United States in Norway.
The Senate is currently on holiday and will start its first session at the beginning of September. It is expected that it will conduct a hearing and then a vote. That means that White and his wife Eleanor could move into the residence in Oslo before Christmas, unless the nomination meets any form of political turbulence. The couple has three sons. Any date for when the Senate will handle this matter is not clear.
White has been a contributor and fundraiser for Obama. It is not unusual that this type of effort is rewarded with ambassadorships. At the same time, Obama nominated Alan Solomont to be ambassador to Spain. He was one of the leading figures in fundraising for the Democratic Party.
White was educated at Harvard and, like Obama, was editor of the Harvard Law Review. He is a senior partner at the firm Foley Hoag in Boston and his specialty is international business law. He has also been leading Lex Mundi, the world's largest international cooperative of independent law firms. In addition, he holds prominent local offices in Boston as a board member of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and a leader of the Massachusetts Alliance for International Business.
[Editor’s note: some quotes may be worded based on translated material].
“Barry brings commitment and effort to this position, and I am grateful that he will be part of our administration in this important time. I am looking forward to working with him in the coming months and years,” President Obama said when he nominated the business lawyer Friday night.
Barry B. White remains silent, because he still has to be approved by the Senate.
A question presented by Aftenposten to White: "Do you have any personal or business relationships in Norway, and are you looking forward to moving to Oslo?"
“I have a son who is a reporter at the Washington Post, so I understand your question, but before the Senate has approved my nomination I cannot comment,” was White’s diplomatic answer to every question Aftenposten tried to ask him.
To his local paper, the Boston Globe, he is almost as secretive, but said it is an honor to be nominated to represent the United States in Norway.
The Senate is currently on holiday and will start its first session at the beginning of September. It is expected that it will conduct a hearing and then a vote. That means that White and his wife Eleanor could move into the residence in Oslo before Christmas, unless the nomination meets any form of political turbulence. The couple has three sons. Any date for when the Senate will handle this matter is not clear.
White has been a contributor and fundraiser for Obama. It is not unusual that this type of effort is rewarded with ambassadorships. At the same time, Obama nominated Alan Solomont to be ambassador to Spain. He was one of the leading figures in fundraising for the Democratic Party.
White was educated at Harvard and, like Obama, was editor of the Harvard Law Review. He is a senior partner at the firm Foley Hoag in Boston and his specialty is international business law. He has also been leading Lex Mundi, the world's largest international cooperative of independent law firms. In addition, he holds prominent local offices in Boston as a board member of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and a leader of the Massachusetts Alliance for International Business.
[Editor’s note: some quotes may be worded based on translated material].
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