JOHN FORBES KERRY

John Forbes Kerry

El Secretario de Estado de los Estados Unidos es la autoridad máxima del Departamento de Estado, que en ese país es el equivalente a un ministerio de relaciones exteriores, como se los denomina en otras naciones. Como tal, el secretario de estado integra el gabinete de gobierno y sin dudas es uno de los pesos pesados dentro del mismo en materia de decisiones y de cercanía con el presidente que es quien lo elige.

En la actualidad, quien ocupa ese cargo en el gobierno de Barack Obama es John Kerry, un dirigente del Partido Demócrata y quien anteriormente se desempeñó como Senador por el estado de Massachusetts.

John Forbes Kerry nació en un hospital de militares en el estado colorado, el 11 de diciembre del año 1943, donde su padre, un militar que participó en la contienda de la Segunda Guerra Mundial permanecía internado por estar afectado por la tuberculosis.

Tras completar los estudios básicos, Kerry, opta por la carrera de Ciencias Políticas y la cursa en la Universidad de Yale.

Tras graduarse se alista en la armada e interviene en la Guerra de Vietnam. Su compromiso y participación le valdrían varias medallas.

En la década del setenta cursa y se recibe en la carrera de Derecho y al tiempo asume como procurador de Middlesex. La década siguiente lo tendrá ya muy activo en materia política, desempeñándose como teniente gobernador en su estado natal y luego como Senador. En el senado estadounidense trabajaría largos años, entre 1985 y 2013.

En el año 2003, con una vasta trayectoria política detrás, decide presentarse como pre candidato presidencial en las elecciones primarias de su partido. Su propuesta triunfa finalmente y en el 2004 mide fuerzas electorales con el entonces presidente George W. Bush, que iba por la reelección. Kerry no logró imponerse ni en el voto del pueblo ni en la decisión del colegio electoral y ganó Bush.

Cuando en 2008 se renovó la oportunidad, Kerry, prefirió que sea Obama el candidato del partido para pelear por la presidencia del país y lo apoyó.

En diciembre del año 2012, cuando Hilary Clinton, quien ocupaba el cargo se aleja por problemas de salud, Obama, lo elige y postula para el cargo que ocupa hoy, Secretario del Departamento de Estado. En enero del año 2013 el parlamento lo confirma en el cargo y asume en febrero.

En el plano personal estuvo casado con Julie Thorne primero, quien sería la madre de sus dos hijas. Tras separarse se une en matrimonio a Teresa Heinz.

John Kerry

As a U.S. senator, John Kerry supported free trade, expansive foreign and military policy and education spending. In 2004, he was a democratic presidential nominee, and in 2013 he became the U.S. secretary of state.

Born in 1943 in Denver, Colorado, John Kerry was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984 and was re-elected in 1990, 1996, 2002 and 2008. While serving in the Senate, he supported free trade, expansive U.S. foreign and military policy, investment in education and environmental protection. In 2004, Kerry lost the presidential election to George W. Bush. He became U.S. secretary of state under President Barack Obama in 2013.

Born on December 11, 1943, in Denver, Colorado, John Forbes Kerry spent much of his childhood living abroad. His father Richard worked in the foreign service. Kerry and his three siblings were raised in the Catholic faith, and he even served as an altar boy for a time.

During his teens, Kerry attended St. Paul's, an elite boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire. He then went on to study political science at Yale University. After completing his bachelor's degree in 1966, Kerry volunteered to serve in the U.S. Navy. He fought in the Vietnam War as a gunboat officer. Proving to be a brave and valiant soldier, he earned several military honors, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V (for valor) and three Purple Hearts.

Profoundly affected by his wartime experiences, Kerry worked to support other veterans after returning home in the late 1960s. He co-founded Vietnam Veterans of America and became a spokesperson for Vietnam Veterans Against the War. In 1971, Kerry spoke to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the conflict.

Kerry made his first bid for public office in 1972, but he failed in his attempted run for Congress. Kerry then pursued a law career, graduating in 1976 from Boston College Law School and subsequently working in public service for a time as assistant district attorney of Middlesex County in Massachusetts.

After a few years in private practice, Kerry assumed his first political position in 1982. He served as the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts under Michael Dukakis. Kerry soon moved on to the national stage, winning one of Massachusetts' Senate seats in 1984. He was reelected in 1990, 1996, 2002 and 2008.

While serving in the Senate, Kerry earned a reputation as a left-of-center legislator. He supported free trade, expansive U.S. foreign and military policy, investment in education, environmental protection and growth of the hi-tech New Economy. He also continued his work on behalf of veterans, leading a Senate committee to ensure that there were no POWs left in Vietnam.

In 2004, Kerry won the Democratic nomination for president, focusing much of his campaign efforts on criticizing President George W. Bush. Kerry opposed Bush's foreign policy, particularly in its handling of the Iraqi conflict. Though Kerry voted to give the president authority to wage war in Iraq, he later voted against an $87 billion aid package for the country amidst back and forth politicking.

In July, Kerry chose North Carolina senator and former trial lawyer John Edwards as his running mate. Later that month, Kerry and Edwards were joined by Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Madeleine Albright and others at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. In November 2004, after a hard-fought and often bitter campaign, Kerry conceded the presidential election to incumbent George W. Bush.

After his failed presidential bid, Kerry continued to be a strong presence in the U.S. Senate. He became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2009, serving in that capacity for several years. In 2011, Kerry was asked to help sort out the nation's fiscal problems as one of the 12 members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.

In December 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Kerry to be his next secretary of state, succeeding Hillary Clinton. Obama considered Kerry to be the ideal candidate for the job because of his decades of political experience. "John's played a central role in every major foreign policy debate for nearly 30 years," Obama said in a press conference.

Kerry's nomination was approved by the vast majority of the Senate, with a 94 to 3 vote, on January 29, 2013. Fellow Democrat Senator Bob Menendez stated, "Senator Kerry will need no introduction to the world's political and military leaders and will begin day one fully conversant not only with the intricacies of U.S. foreign policy but able to act on a multitude of international stages."