Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr.

From 1987 to 1989, Culvahouse served as counsel to U.S. President Ronald Reagan.[4] As White House Counsel, he advised the President on matters ranging from Iran-Contra investigations, to the Supreme Court nominations of Robert Bork and Anthony Kennedy, to the legal aspects of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Reagan administration photograph of Culvahouse

Culvahouse served as Bork's "handler" during his rejected Senate confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court.[4]

In January 1989, Reagan awarded Culvahouse the Presidential Citizens’ Medal, an award established in 1969 to "recognize citizens who performed exemplary deeds of service for the country or their fellow citizens."

From 1990 to 1992, Culvahouse served as a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Nuclear Failsafe and Risk Reduction, appointed by Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, to evaluate and recommend improvements in the United States' nuclear command and control system.

In December 1992, Cheney awarded Culvahouse the Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Culvahouse's prior service on boards and commissions includes service on the Supreme Court Fellows Commission (2002–2005), the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Naval Academy (1989–1991), and the Counterintelligence Advisory Panel to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (1989–1990).

Prior to his appointed as U.S. Ambassador to Australia Culvahouse was a member of the Brookings Institution Board of Trustees, and the Leadership Board of the Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness.

In May 2008, Culvahouse was chosen to head presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain's search for a vice presidential running mate, the first time that Culvahouse had ever been involved in a presidential campaign.[5][6] At the same time, he won a third four-year term to the chairmanship of his law firm.[4] Culvahouse was mentioned in the American Bar Association's journal as a possible Attorney General in a John McCain presidency, because "a lot of Democrats in Washington respect him and he has private access to a lot of ears on Capitol Hill."[4]

McCain's pick of Sarah Palin for vice president led to controversy over the vetting process.[7][8] In 2009, Culvahouse defended his vetting in a speech to the Republican National Lawyers Association: Palin "had a lot of capacity. The mistake I made -- and we've laughed about it since -- after giving [McCain] that advice, he said, 'Well, what's your bottom line?' I said, 'John. High risk, high reward.' And his response, ‘You shouldn't have told me that, I've been a risk-taker all of my life.'"[9]

“Me and two of my most cynical partners interviewed [Palin], and came away impressed,” Culvahouse said.[9]

In May 2016, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, chose Culvahouse to head the search for his running mate.[10]

On 6 November 2018, Trump nominated Culvahouse as the next United States Ambassador to Australia,[1] to fill a post that had been vacant since John Berry left the post in September 2016. The appointment was confirmed by the Senate on 2 January 2019.[11] Culvahouse officially took office on March 13, 2019 when his credentials were accepted by the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove.[2] He left office in January 2021.[12][13]