Warren Christopher, Lawyer and Ex-Secretary of State, Dies at Age 85
Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher has died at the age of 85.
The cause of death was kidney and bladder cancer, according to an announcement by Christopher’s law firm, O’Melveny & Myers. He was a senior partner there. The Washington Post, the New York Times and the Associated Press have obituaries.
Christopher served as secretary of state for President Clinton, conducting peace negotiations in Bosnia and the Middle East. He was deputy secretary of state in the Carter administration, helping win ratification of the Panama Canal treaties and the release of 52 American hostages in Iran. He also oversaw the Florida recount for 2000 presidential candidate Al Gore.
The Times described Christopher as “methodical and self-effacing” as well as “impeccably dressed and unfailingly polite.” His wardrobe led to inclusion in a People magazine article on the best-dressed men in America.
According to the Post, Christopher had been characterized as “dour, attentive to detail, patient, steady and poised, but rarely, if ever, charismatic. … No one was surprised when, on an official stopover in Ireland, he ordered Irish coffee, decaffeinated and without alcohol.”
