History of Ron Klain in Timeline

Ron Klain is an American attorney and political consultant known for his role as White House Chief of Staff under President Joe Biden from 2021 to 2023. Prior to this, Klain had a long career in Democratic politics, including serving as chief of staff to Vice Presidents Al Gore and Joe Biden. He also coordinated the Obama administration's response to the Ebola virus outbreak. Klain has worked as a lobbyist and is considered an influential figure within the Democratic Party.

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Full Timeline

August 8, 1961: Ronald Klain Born

On August 8, 1961, Ronald Alan Klain was born. He would grow up to become an American attorney, political consultant, and White House chief of staff.

Others born on this day/year

1979: High School Graduation

In 1979, Ron Klain graduated from North Central High School, where he was a member of the school's Brain Game team, which finished as season runner-up.

1983: Legislative Director for Ed Markey

From 1983 to 1984, Ron Klain served as legislative director for U.S. Representative Ed Markey (D–MA).

1983: Graduation from Georgetown University

In 1983, Ron Klain received his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Georgetown University, marking him as a first-generation college graduate.

1987: Graduation from Harvard Law School

In 1987, Ron Klain received his Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

1987: Law Clerk for Supreme Court Justice Byron White

In 1987, Ron Klain served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Byron White during the 1987 and 1988 terms.

1988: Assisted Biden's Speechwriting Team

In 1988, Ron Klain assisted Joe Biden's speechwriting team during the presidential campaign.

1989: Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary

From 1989 to 1992, Ron Klain was chief counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, overseeing legal staff work on constitutional law, criminal law, antitrust law, and Supreme Court nominations.

1991: Oversight of Clarence Thomas Nomination

In 1991, as chief counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Ron Klain oversaw the legal staff's work on matters of Supreme Court nominations, including the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination.

1992: Joins Clinton-Gore Campaign

In 1992, Ron Klain joined the Clinton-Gore campaign and was involved in both of Bill Clinton's presidential campaigns.

1994: Chief of Staff to Attorney General Janet Reno

In 1994, Ron Klain became the chief of staff and counselor to Attorney General Janet Reno.

1995: Chief of Staff to Al Gore

In 1995, Ron Klain became chief of staff to Al Gore.

1995: Staff Director of the Senate Democratic Leadership Committee

In 1995, Senator Tom Daschle appointed Ron Klain as the staff director of the Senate Democratic Leadership Committee.

June 16, 1999: Continued as Gore's Chief of Staff

On June 16, 1999, Ron Klain continued to serve as Al Gore's chief of staff following the official launch of Gore's presidential campaign.

August 2, 1999: Resignation to Join O'Melveny & Myers

On August 2, 1999, Ron Klain resigned as chief of staff to Al Gore to join the Washington, D.C., office of O'Melveny & Myers, a law firm.

2000: Portrayed in Recount

In 2000 Ron Klain was portrayed by Kevin Spacey in the HBO film "Recount", which depicted the tumult of the 2000 presidential election.

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2004: Adviser to Wesley Clark

During the early primaries of the 2004 presidential campaign, Ron Klain worked as an adviser to Wesley Clark during Clark's run for president. Afterwards he became heavily involved behind the scenes in John Kerry's campaign after Kerry won the Democratic nomination.

2005: Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Revolution LLC

In 2005, Ron Klain left his partnership at O'Melveny & Myers to become executive vice president and general counsel of Revolution LLC, a technology venture capital firm launched by AOL co-founder Steve Case.

2005: Registered Lobbyist for Fannie Mae

Until 2005, Ron Klain was registered as a lobbyist for Fannie Mae.

November 12, 2008: Chief of Staff to Vice President Joe Biden

On November 12, 2008, it was announced that Ron Klain had been chosen to serve as chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden.

2009: Chief of Staff to Joe Biden

In 2009, Ron Klain became the chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, a position he held until 2011.

2009: Salary in 2009

In 2009, Ron Klain reported earning a salary of $1 million.

May 2010: Approval of Obama Visit to Solyndra Factory

In May 2010, Ron Klain gave the go-ahead for an Obama visit to the Solyndra factory, amid concerns about the solar-panel company's viability.

January 2011: Leaves White House and Returns to Case Holdings

In January 2011, Ron Klain opted to leave the White House and return to Case Holdings, where he oversaw Revolution LLC and assisted Steve Case and his wife, Jean Case, in administering the Case Foundation.

October 2014: General Counsel at Revolution LLC and President of Case Holdings

In October 2014, at the time of his appointment as Ebola response coordinator, Ron Klain was general counsel at Revolution LLC and President of Case Holdings.

October 17, 2014: Appointment as Ebola Response Coordinator

On October 17, 2014, Ron Klain was appointed as the "Ebola response coordinator."

2014: White House Ebola Response Coordinator

In 2014, Ron Klain was appointed by President Barack Obama as the White House Ebola Response Coordinator, following the appearance of Ebola virus cases in the United States. He served in this role until 2015.

February 2015: Term as Ebola Response Coordinator Ends

In February 2015, Ron Klain's term as Ebola response coordinator ended.

2015: Joined Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign

In 2015, Ron Klain joined Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, helping her prepare for debates. After Trump's election, he returned to Revolution LLC and criticized the new administration.

February 2019: 40th Valentine's Day Celebration

In February 2019, Ron Klain tweeted about celebrating his 40th Valentine's Day with his wife, Monica Medina, whom he met as a college sweetheart at Georgetown.

April 2020: Advisor on COVID-19 pandemic

During the 2020 Biden campaign, in April 2020, Ron Klain served as an advisor on the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the importance of a high vaccination rate.

November 11, 2020: Named White House Chief of Staff

On November 11, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden selected Ron Klain to be White House Chief of Staff.

2020: Salary from Revolution LLC

In 2020, Ron Klain received a salary of almost $2 million from the venture capital firm Revolution LLC, where he served as general counsel and executive vice president.

2020: Senior Advisor to Biden's Presidential Campaign

Throughout 2020, Ron Klain worked as a senior advisor to Joe Biden's presidential campaign.

2021: Included in Time 100

In 2021, Ron Klain was included in the Time 100, Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

2021: Assets worth in 2021

In financial disclosures, Ron Klain reported owning assets worth $4.4–12.2 million in 2021.

October 2022: Violation of the Hatch Act

In October 2022, the Office of Special Counsel found that Ron Klain had violated the Hatch Act and was warned not to do so again.

2022: Legislative victories

In 2022, Ron Klain helped achieve major legislative victories such as passing the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. He resigned on a high note for the Biden Administration following an unexpectedly strong showing in the 2022 midterm elections and signs of easing inflation.

January 2023: Klain Announces Resignation

In January 2023, Ron Klain announced his plans to step down as White House chief of staff, with his departure planned for the weeks following President Biden's State of the Union address in February.

January 21, 2023: Reported Resignation as Chief of Staff

On January 21, 2023, it was reported that Ron Klain would resign as chief of staff following the 2023 State of the Union Address on February 7.

February 1, 2023: Goodbye Transition Event

On February 1, 2023, the White House held a goodbye transition event for Ron Klain, marking his departure as chief of staff.

April 18, 2023: Returns to O'Melveny & Myers LLP

On April 18, 2023, Ron Klain returned to legal services firm, O'Melveny & Myers LLP as a partner, to lead its Strategic Counseling and Crisis Management Practice.

November 20, 2023: Joins Airbnb as Chief Legal Officer

On November 20, 2023, Airbnb announced that Ron Klain would join the company as chief legal officer on January 1, 2024.

2023: Portrayed in For All Mankind

In 2023, Ron Klain was portrayed by Jon Levine in season four of For All Mankind, which takes place in an alternate timeline in which Al Gore wins the 2000 election and Klain becomes the White House liaison to NASA.

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2024: Warns Biden Campaign

During the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, Ron Klain publicly warned the Biden re-election campaign to refocus on immediate economic problems affecting American voters such as inflation rather than long-term projects such as infrastructure investments.