Newly appointed Secretary of Commerce William Daley previously served as Special Counsel to the President for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

He also held the position of co-chair with Chicago ’96, the non-partisan, not-for-profit host committee charged with overseeing city and community planning for the 1996 Democratic National Convention.

From 1975 to 1985, Daley was a partner in the Daley &George law firm in Chicago. He then joined the law firm of Mayer, Brown and Platt where he served as a partner until 1990. From 1990 to 1993 Daley held the position of president and COO of Amalgamated Bank of Chicago. He then rejoined Mayer, Brown and Platt, concentrating in the area of corporate and government relations matters.

Daley received the St. Ignatius Award for Excellence in the Practice of Law in 1994 and was the recipient of the 1994 World Trade Award presented by the World Trade Center, Chicago.

His academic achievements include an LL.B. from John Marshall Law School, Chicago; a BA from Loyola University, Chicago; and an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from John Marshall Law School, Chicago. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1975.

Daley resides in Chicago, Illinois with his wife Loretta and their three children. He is the brother of Richard Daley, the Mayor of Chicago and one of our top 100 Irish Americans for 1996. He is the son of the late Mayor, Richard J. Daley.