James Thomas Lynn

James Thomas Lynn (February 27, 1927 – December 6, 2010) was a U.S. cabinet officer and government official.

Lynn was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Frederick Robert Lynn and Dorthea Estelle Lynn (née Petersen). In 1948, he graduated summa cum laude from Western Reserve University (now known as Case Western Reserve University), and in 1951 graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. At Harvard Law School Lynn was the Case Editor of the Harvard Law Review. Working for Jones, Day, Cockley and Reavis, Cleveland's biggest law firm, became a partner in 1960 and was there until 1969, the year he was named the general counsel for the Department of Commerce. In 1971, he became undersecretary for the department.

On February 2, 1973, Lynn was sworn in as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and served until 1975. Under Gerald Ford, Lynn became the director of the Office of Management and Budget, serving from 1975 to 1977. Lynn joined the Board of Aetna in the 1970s, and served as its President and Chairman in the 1980s.

Lynn was general counsel for the Republican National Committee in 1979 and president of the James S. Brady Presidential Foundation in the early 1980s. In the 1990s Lynn served the Board on Science, Technology, & Economic Policy as well as on the boards of Pfizer and TRW. Lynn was also co-chair of the Business Roundtable, selected for The President's Commission to Study Capital Budgeting and most recently served on The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Lynn was an Honorary Trustee of the Brookings Institute.

Lynn died in Bethesda, Maryland on December 6, 2010.

References

• American President. James T. Lynn (1974–1975): Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. URL accessed on December 28, 2010.
• The Political Graveyard. Index to Politicians: Lynchburg to Lynwood.. URL accessed on November 11, 2005.