Richard F. Hohlt

Richard Frederick Hohlt (born 1947), is a lobbyist and federal government relations consultant. He founded The Hohlt Group in 1990 to provide government-relations counsel and strategic advice, and has previously worked in the public and private sectors.[1]

Biography

Hohlt was born and raised in Indianapolis,Indiana, graduating from North Central High School in 1966, and from Millikin University in 1970 with a BS in accounting.[2]

He joined the Air Force Reserves in 1970 and was honorably discharged in 1976. While in the Reserves, he worked as an internal auditor at LS Ayers department stores and was a project leader for the cost accounting and computerization of the Unified City-County government for the city of Indianapolis. In 1993 in Nantucket, Mass., Hohlt married Deborah Lee Messick, also a lobbyist and federal relations consultant.[2] He has one son, Luke Frederick Hohlt, born March 18, 2000.

Political career

In 1974, Hohlt became a full-time aide to the Republican Mayor of Indianapolis, Richard G. Lugar during his 1974 campaign for the U.S. Senate.[3] He became the Administrative Assistant to Mayor Lugar in 1975 and served as the Deputy Director of the Lugar for Senate Committee in 1976.[4]

When Lugar was elected, Hohlt moved with the Senator to Capitol Hill. He served on Lugar's Washington staff and then joined the United States League of Savings Institutions,[5] a national financial services industry trade association, as Senior Vice President for Government Relations, representing the industry's legislative and regulatory interests for nine years.

Government Advisor

Hohlt served as a key advisor to Republicans in Congress, the Administration, presidential campaigns, inaugurals, and transition teams for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.[6] President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) (1985–1988),[7] the Peace Corps Advisory Council (1983–1984),[8] and President George H.W. Bush appointed him to the Board of Directors of the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) (1990–1994).[9] He also served as the senior advisor to the Co-Chairman of President George W. Bush's Social Security Commission.

He was instrumental in the passage of major legislation in the fields of telecommunications, terrorism insurance, energy and highway bills, appropriations bills, bankruptcy reform, class action, and tax legislation.[10]

Hohlt is a founding member of the informal 'Off-the-Record Club' in Washington DC, attended by Republicans, including Vin Weber and Karl Rove.[1]

Private Sector work

From 1998-2003 Hohlt lobbied for settlement funding companies. [11] From 1998-2009 he lobbied for Sallie Mae Corporation, where he had been on the Board of Directors and has been officially registered lobbyist for up to 13 companies/ year like Altria Group, BMW, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cinergy Corp, Clark Consulting, Guaranty Bank & Trust, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Metcor Ltd, a lobby firm for IT companies, Northwest Airlines, Nuclear Energy Institute, Time Warner and Washington Mutual.[12] When the latter collapsed in 2008, Hohlt said he wasn’t aware of the bank’s many problems.[1]

Hohlt's firm was hired in 2009 by Citigroup chairman Richard Parsons during the Financial crisis of 2007–2010 to advise the company when Citigroup was under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Hohlt called Parsons “a personal 20-year friend". According to the New York Times, "Citigroup has raised some hackles by hiring a longtime Washington insider who critics say exacerbated the savings and loan crisis." [1]

As of 2014, Hohlt is only retained by the Altria Group, Chevron Corporation, Metcor and Pinnacle West Capital.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Morgensen, Gretchen and Andrew Martin (11 October 2009). "Citigroup Hires Mr. Inside". New York Times.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Weddings: Deborah Messick, Richard Hohlt", The New York Times September 26, 1993. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
  3. ↑ Carney, Eliza Newlin "Super Donors", National Journal Group Inc. December 7, 2007
  4. ↑ Isikoff, Michael, "A Man Of Mystery", Newsweek February 26, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Nomination of Richard F. Hohlt To Be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Student Loan Marketing Association", George Bush XLI President: UCSB Presidency Project, January 5, 1990. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Bush's 'Rangers'",USA Today, May 5, 2005.
  7. ↑ "Congressional Record Index (1985) - HOHLT, RICHARD F". Gpo.gov. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Nominations & Appointments". Reagan.utexas.edu. 19 May 1983. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  9. ↑ "George Bush Presidential Library and Museum :: Public Papers - 1990 - January". Bushlibrary.tamu.edu. January 1990. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  10. ↑ McTague, Jim, "Why Tax Filling Will Be Worse Than Usual", Barron's November 27, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Hohlt, Richard F Lobbyist Profile: Summary, 2002". The Center for Responsive Politics. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Hohlt, Richard F Lobbyist Profile: Summary, 2003". The Center for Responsive Politics. n.d. Retrieved 20 December 2014.