Peter Justus Beshar[2] is an American attorney who has served as general counsel of the Department of the Air Force since March 18, 2022. Beshar has previously worked in various roles at Marsh McLennan for 17 years.
Peter Beshar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force | |
| Assumed office March 18, 2022[1] | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Secretary | Frank Kendall III |
| Preceded by | Thomas E. Ayres |
| Personal details | |
| Spouse | Sarah Elizabeth Eggleston Jones
(m. 1995) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Yale University (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
Education edit
Beshar earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1984 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1989.[3][4]
Career edit
Beshar served as a law clerk for Judge Vincent L. Broderick. In 1992 and 1993, Beshar worked as an advisor to Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. He later served as assistant attorney general of New York, where he managed the New York State Attorney General's Task Force on Illegal Firearms. From 1995 to 2004, he worked at Gibson Dunn as co-chair of the firm's Securities Litigation Group. Beshar joined Marsh McLennan in 2004 and has since worked as executive vice president and general counsel of the company. Beshar was appointed to the board of trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars by President Barack Obama in 2015.[5][6]
Beshar has written op-ed columns on cyberwarfare and cybercrime policy for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Fortune, Fast Company, and U.S. News & World Report.[7]
Air Force nomination edit
On October 19, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Beshar to be the next general counsel of the air force. The Senate Armed Services Committee held hearings on his nomination on February 15, 2022. The committee favorably reported his nomination to the Senate floor on March 8, 2022. The entire Senate confirmed Beshar's nomination on March 10, 2022, by voice vote.[8]
Personal life edit
Beshar married Sarah Elizabeth Eggleston Jones, also a lawyer, in 1995.[9] They have three children and live in Rye, New York.[10] He is the son of Christine Beshar, who was named partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in 1971, making her the first woman to do so, and becoming one of the first women to be named partner in any Wall Street law firm.[11]
References edit
- ^ "Beshar swears in as Department of the Air Force general counsel". Hill Air Force Base. Washington, D.C.: Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- ^ "Peter Justus Beshar".
- ^ Wyman, Oliver. "Peter J. Beshar". www.mmc.com. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- ^ Staff, Aspen Editorial; Business, Wolters Kluwer Law & (2015-07-23). Directory of Corporate Counsel: 2015 -2016 Edition. Wolters Kluwer. ISBN 978-1-4548-5653-5.
{{cite book}}:|last2=has generic name (help) - ^ "Peter J. Beshar, Earl Stafford Nominated to Wilson Center Board of Trustees | Wilson Center". www.wilsoncenter.org. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- ^ "President Biden Announces Key Nominations". The White House. 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- ^ "Articles by Peter J. Beshar | The New York Times, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report Journalist | Muck Rack". muckrack.com. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- ^ "PN1287 — Peter J. Beshar — Department of Defense 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "Sarah E. E. Jones and Peter Beshar, Lawyers, Are Married in Australia". The New York Times. 1991-01-06. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- ^ "Peter Beshar, Board Member of CARE USA". CARE. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- ^ Roberts, Sam (19 January 2018). "Christine Beshar, Trailblazing Lawyer, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-02-25.