DALLAS- Ron Kirk was born and raised, the youngest of four children, in Austin, TX.  He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and sociology from Austin College in Sherman, Texas.  He received his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1979.

As the first African-American mayor of Dallas from 1995–2002, he earned a reputation for bringing together diverse coalitions.  During his tenure as mayor, Ambassador Kirk expanded Dallas’ reach to the world through a range of trade programs, including numerous trade missions. His economic development efforts helped secure more than 45,000 jobs and investment of more than $3.5 billion in Dallas.  To protect citizens he increased the public safety budget by $128 million, and while he was mayor, Dallas saw its lowest crime rate in 20 years. 

Previously, Governor Ann Richards appointed him as Texas Secretary of State, he served as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen and he was named as chair of Texas’ General Service Commission.  Kirk also served as a City of Dallas assistant city attorney. On March 18, 2009, He was nominated to be the United States Trade Representative by the United States Senate. Kirk is a member of President Obama’s Cabinet and serves as the president’s principal trade advisor, negotiator and spokesperson on trade issues.  Kirk is also the first African-American to hold the position of United States Trade Representative.
Prior to joining USTR, he was a partner at Vinson & Elkins LLP, where his principal area of practice was public finance and public policy. He is married to Matrice

Ellis-Kirk and they have two daughters, Elizabeth Alexandra and Catherine Victoria.

We salute Ron Kirk as this week’s Living Legend and invite you to send in who you think will make a good Living Legend and why they should be honored.