Comptroller Hawke Announces Retirement

WASHINGTON-Comptroller of the Currency John D. Hawke, Jr., a hold out from the Clinton administration, recently announced that he would retire from the government at the end of his term Oct. 13. Hawke has served nearly six years as Comptroller, spanning two presidential administrations. Treasury Secretary John Snow said of Hawke’s announcement, “A dedicated public servant, Jerry has made innumerable valued contributions to the Treasury Department over the years and his colleagues and I wish him the best in his future endeavors. He departs with the sincere appreciation and well wishes of all of us here at Treasury.” Sentiment from industry officials was much the same. America’s Community Bankers President and CEO Diane Casey-Landry commented, “Jerry Hawke’s career in banking, both in private law practice and in government service, has been long and distinguished. Through his leadership as a key Treasury under secretary and as a federal regulator, Jerry made valuable contributions to the stability and evolution of the banking industry.” Hawke was appointed Comptroller on December 8, 1998 and was confirmed by the Senate for a full five-year term in October 1999. Prior to this, he served as under secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance. He had previously served as chairman of Arnold & Porter, a Washington law firm that he first joined as an associate in 1962. In 1975, he left the firm to join the Federal Reserve as general counsel, returning to the firm in 1978. From 1961 to 1962, Hawke served as counsel to the Select Subcommittee on Education in the House of Representatives. He is a graduate of Yale University and served in the Air Force before going on to graduate from Columbia University School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Columbia Law Review.