John Kerry
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
John Forbes Kerry was born in November 1943 in Aurora, Colorado. He earned an undergraduate degree in political science at Yale University. He later received a Juris Doctor from Boston College.
He enlisted in the Naval Reserve, and after completing Officer Candidate School at the U.S. Naval Training Center in Newport, Rhode Island, he received a commission. He deployed to Vietnam, as commander of a Fast Patrol Craft, also known as a “Swift boat.” He received several military honors, including Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. After returning to the U.S., he moved to Waltham, Massachusetts, joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and engaged in anti-war activism.
He was an assistant district attorney for Middlesex County, and spent some time in the private practice of law. He ran for the U.S. House of Representatives but was not elected. He did make a successful bid for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, a position he held for two years until his election to the United States Senate, where he then served for 28 years. He left the Senate to become Secretary of State under President Barack Obama, serving four years.
President Joe Biden named Kerry as his Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, an office that was established by the new administration and which Kerry assumed on January 20, 2021.
Kerry was married to Julia Thorne and they had two daughters, but that marriage was formally annulled after 14 years. He is presently married to Teresa Heinz, who has three sons from a prior marriage. He is Catholic.
In the News…
At the COP27 UN climate summit in Egypt, Presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry announced a public-private partnership, the Energy Transition Accelerator, intended to assist developing nations with climate financing to transition away from fossil fuels.
He said this carbon credit trading market will partner private capital with governments and NGOs to facilitate the energy transition. He relayed that world leaders identified cost as the primary obstacle to transitioning to renewable energy.
“Wealthy countries are stepping up their support. Our administration is working as hard as we can to deliver on President Biden’s pledge to quadruple U.S. climate support by 2024. We are absolutely committed to doing our part,” Envoy Kerry said. “But no government in the world has enough money to get this job done. We will only succeed with a massive infusion of private capital.”
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Special Envoy Kerry today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable John Kerry
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
