John Bolton

Date of Birth: November 20, 1948

John Robert Bolton II is an American politician and former National Security Advisor to the President of the United States.

Place of Birth. Education. Bolton was born on November 20, 1948, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. His father was a firefighter, and his mother was a housewife.

He attended a prestigious school in Maryland - McDonogh College. In 1966, he received a scholarship to study at Yale University.

In 1972, he graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor's degree. In 1974, he completed Yale Law School.

Career. In 1972, he was an intern for Vice President Spiro Agnew during President Richard Nixon's administration.

From 1985 to 1988, he served as the Deputy Attorney General in the Department of Legislative Affairs.

From 1988 to 1989, he was the Deputy Attorney General in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

From 1989 to 1993, he served as the Deputy Secretary of State for International Organizations.

From 2001 to 2005, he was the Deputy Secretary of State for Arms Control.

From 2005 to 2006, he was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. He resigned on December 9, 2006.

Since January 2007, Bolton has been serving as a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and in the summer of 2007, he was elected to the Scientific Council.

In the 2014, 2016, and 2016 elections, he raised funds to support Republican candidates, including President Donald Trump's campaign.

On February 18, 2017, Trump reported that he had interviewed Bolton and three others to decide who would take over the position of National Security Advisor after the ousted Lieutenant General Michael Flynn.

From February 20, 2017, to April 9, 2018, Herbert McMaster served as the President's advisor.

On April 9, 2018, Bolton began his service as National Security Advisor.

On April 10, 2018, Tom Bossert, the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, resigned at Bolton's request.

On September 10, 2019, the President of the United States Donald Trump fired John Bolton from his position as National Security Advisor.

Views. Bolton is known for his conservative views on foreign policy. He advocates a hardline approach towards countries of the so-called 'Axis of Evil': North Korea, Iran, and Cuba, as well as against Russia and its allies. In particular, he made accusations against Cuba's leadership and Castro personally in 2002 for exporting biological weapons to 'rogue states'.

In 2003, he actively supported the invasion of Iraq.

In May 2007, Bolton urged the U.S. government to conduct a military operation against Iran as soon as possible.

Despite his more than one-year tenure as U.S. ambassador to the UN, he did not hide his skepticism towards that institution. He once stated: 'There is no concept of the United Nations. There is only the world community, which can only be led by one superpower, the United States.'

In recent years, Bolton has advocated for the arming of Ukraine, offered it a perspective on NATO membership, and criticized President Barack Obama's foreign policy, viewing the situation in Ukraine as an example of failed decisions by official Washington.

Social Activities. In June 2010, he, along with several prominent politicians, founded an international public organization - the 'Friends of Israel Initiative,' whose task is to oppose the delegitimization of the state of Israel.

Family. Bolton is married to Gretchen Smith Bolton, who is a financial planner at AXA Advisors. Together, they raise their daughter Jennifer and live in Bethesda, Maryland.

Bolton is a Lutheran.

October 31, 2023.