Office of the United States Trade Representative
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The Office of the United States Trade Representative, or USTR, is an arm of the executive branch of the United States government. It is responsible for the United States' international trade policy at bilateral and multilateral levels.
The head of the office holds the title of United States Trade Representative, which is a Cabinet-level position (though not technically within the Cabinet). The current USTR is Representative Rob Portman (R-OH), who took over for acting USTR Peter F. Allgeier. On March 17, 2005, President George W. Bush nominated Congressman Portman as trade representative, and he was confirmed by the Senate April 29, 2005.
Since the early 1980s, the USTR has played a key role in the expansion of intellectual property laws worldwide.
List of United States Trade Representatives
| Name | From | To | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian A. Herter | 1962 | 1966 | John F. Kennedy |
| William M. Roth | 1967 | 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Carl J. Gilbert | 1969 | 1971 | Richard M. Nixon |
| William D. Eberle | 1971 | 1975 | Richard M. Nixon |
| Frederick B. Dent | 1975 | 1977 | Gerald Ford |
| Robert S. Strauss | 1977 | 1979 | Jimmy Carter |
| Reubin O'Donovan Askew | 1979 | 1981 | Jimmy Carter |
| William E. Brock III | 1981 | 1985 | Ronald Reagan |
| Clayton K. Yeutter | 1985 | 1989 | Ronald Reagan |
| Carla A. Hills | 1989 | 1993 | George H. W. Bush |
| Mickey Kantor | 1993 | 1997 | Bill Clinton |
| Charlene Barshefsky | 1997 | 2001 | Bill Clinton |
| Robert Zoellick | 2001 | 2005 | George W. Bush |
| Peter F. Allgeier (Acting) | 2005 | 2005 | George W. Bush |
| Rob Portman | 2005 | — | George W. Bush |