John Bolton is an American attorney, political commentator, and former diplomat best known for serving as the 27th National Security Advisor of the United States.
John Robert Bolton was born on November 20, 1948, in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale College in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He went on to earn his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1974.
Bolton began his public service during the administration of President Ronald Reagan, where he held several roles, including positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development and as assistant attorney general from 1985 to 1989. He continued his government service under President George H.W. Bush as assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs from 1989 to 1993.
During the 1990s, Bolton remained highly active in conservative policy circles. He held leadership roles at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he served as a senior vice president from 1997 to 2001. He was also affiliated with the Project for the New American Century and played a role in the Republican National Committee.
In the administration of President George W. Bush, Bolton was appointed Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs. He became known for his hardline views on foreign policy, including opposition to the International Criminal Court and support for withdrawing from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. He was a key figure behind the Proliferation Security Initiative, a program aimed at preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction. In 2001, he led efforts to end negotiations on a biological weapons verification protocol, citing concerns over enforcement.
Bolton was also involved in U.S. negotiations with North Korea but was removed from the diplomatic team in 2003 after making critical statements about the North Korean leadership.
On August 1, 2005, President George W. Bush appointed Bolton as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations through a recess appointment while Congress was not in session. Although nominated earlier that year, his confirmation process was contentious. Hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee were marked by political division, and when it became evident that the Republican-controlled Committee could not secure a majority in support of the nomination, Bush moved forward with the recess appointment.
From April 2018 to September 2019, Bolton served as National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump. His tenure was defined by policy disagreements on issues such as Iran, Afghanistan, and other global security matters. In September 2019, President Trump dismissed Bolton from the role, citing longstanding differences. The departure highlighted growing internal discord within the administration and signaled a shift toward more unilateral decision-making by the president.
John Bolton is married to Gretchen Bolton. The couple resides in Maryland. They have one daughter, Jennifer Sarah Bolton, who graduated from Yale College and later earned an MBA and a Master of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014.
| Birth Date: | 20 Nov, 1948 |
| Age: | 71 yrs |
| Occupations: | Politician Diplomat Lawyer Civil servant |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Baltimore |
| Education: | Yale Law School |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | American lawyer and diplomat |
| Net Worth 2021: | 6 million |
