White, Barry B., 1943-

<p>Barry B. White is an American lawyer and former ambassador. He served as United States Ambassador to Norway from 2009 to 2013.</p>

<p>White holds an A.B. from Harvard College, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude, where he was an Editor of the Harvard Law Review.</p>

<p>White was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Public Health Service and served from 1967 to 1969 in the legislative liaison office in the Office of the Surgeon General at the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare.</p>

<p>Prior to his appointment as ambassador, White served for over 13 years as chairman and managing partner (CEO) of Foley Hoag LLP, where he was a senior partner in the firm's business, corporate, international and government strategies practice areas. He practised law at Foley Hoag for 40 years. He also served as chair of Lex Mundi, the world's largest international association of independent law firms, and co-founded the "Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation", to provide pro bono legal advice to social entrepreneurs around the world.</p>

<p>White has served as secretary, general counsel and member of the executive committee of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and as a director of the Massachusetts Alliance for International Business. He was active with many organizations and boards, including the American Bar Association, as a member of the Business and International Sections; Edgewater Technology; the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City; the Boston Municipal Research Bureau; the Northeastern University School of Social Science, Public Policy and Urban Affairs; the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health; the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine; and several others.</p>

<p>White was confirmed as ambassador to Norway by the United States Senate on September 22, 2009 and was sworn in as ambassador on October 21, 2009. In a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 15, 2009, White emphasized the commitment shared by Norway and the U.S. to promoting human rights, democracy, and freedom throughout the world. He said that he looked forward to working to preserve and build upon this invaluable relationship, and to increase economic development opportunities both for U.S. companies in Norway and Norwegian firms in the United States. He left his position as ambassador in September 2013.</p>

<p>White is married to Eleanor G. White, an affordable housing expert. They have three sons and two granddaughters. In 2005, he and his wife were awarded the American Jewish Committee of New England's Award for Community Service.</p>

<p>Barry B. White, sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Norway on October 21, 2009, is another of President Barack Obama’s top fundraisers to receive a diplomatic post. A longtime attorney and business fixture in Boston, White has been involved in Massachusetts and national campaigns for Democratic presidential candidates, including those for Paul Tsongas and Bill Clinton.</p>

<p>White, 66, was educated at Harvard, receiving his undergraduate degree (1964), magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and his JD (1967) from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude. He was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.</p>

<p>He briefly tried his hand at government work, serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Public Health Service from 1967-1969 in the legislative liaison office of the Surgeon General. But he found himself more interested in private law practice, and joined the firm of Foley, Hoag LLP.</p>

<p>Still there forty years later, White had become a senior partner at the firm. Before his appointment as ambassador to Norway, he spent the last 13 years serving as chairman and managing partner (in effect the CEO) of Foley, Hoag. His legal work has focused on technology business ventures, with extensive experience advising middle market corporations on merger and acquisition transactions and on issuing, refinancing and restructuring private and publicly held corporate debt.</p>

<p>Additionally, White served from 1994-1995 as chair of Lex Mundi, the world’s largest international association of independent law firms, and he co-founded the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation to provide free legal advice to social entrepreneurs around the world.</p>

<p>In Boston business circles, he has served as secretary and general counsel, as well as a member of the executive committee, for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and as a director of the Massachusetts Alliance for International Business.</p>

<p>White has been involved in Democratic politics in Massachusetts for many years. In 1992, he was chairman of the Paul Tsongas for President campaign, and later the New England Lawyers’ Committee for Clinton/Gore. The following year he was co-chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Platform Committee, and in 1996, he co-chaired the New England Lawyers’ Committee for Clinton/Gore. In addition, he has served on the finance committees of many Democratic senators and congressmen.</p>

<p>White was an early supporter of Barack Obama. In June 2007 he began organizing Massachusetts lawyers for ObamaAccording to OpenSecrets.org, White bundled between $100,000 and $200,000 for Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. Along with his wife, Eleanor, he has contributed more than $100,000 since 1989 to candidates, of which 98% has gone towards Democrats.</p>

<p>White’s other activities include involvement in the American Bar Association (Business Section and International Section), Edgewater Technology, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, the Boston Municipal Research Bureau (director), the Northeastern University School of Social Science, Public Policy and Urban Affairs, the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health (president, 1993-1995), and Boston University’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Also, he served as counsel to the Massachusetts Special Commission on Business Tax Policy, and as counsel to a Special Commission on the Decennial Census.</p>

<p>White and his wife have three sons.</p>

<p>Barry B. White (1943–)<br>
Non-career appointee<br>
State of Residence: Massachusetts</p>

<p>Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Norway)<br>
Appointed: September 23, 2009<br>
Presentation of Credentials: November 5, 2009<br>
Termination of Mission: Left post on September 28, 2013</p>