Biography of Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr.

Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr., is the longest serving United States Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. Ambassador Randt was confirmed by the Senate on July 11, 2001, arrived in Beijing on July 23, 2001.

Ambassador Randt is a lawyer fluent in Chinese Mandarin, has lived and worked in Asia for more than 30 years and has been traveling to China on business for more than 30 years. He was a resident of Beijing from 1982 through 1984 where he served as First Secretary and Commercial Attache at the U.S. Embassy. He then lived in Hong Kong for 18 years, most recently as a partner with the international law firm of Shearman & Sterling where he headed the firm’s substantial China practice. He is a member of the New York and Hong Kong bars and is a recognized expert on Chinese law.

In 1974, Ambassador Randt was the China representative of the National Council for United States-China Trade and, from 1968 to 1972, he served in the United States Air Force Security Service.

After preparing at Hotchkiss School, Ambassador Randt graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in 1968 and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan in l975. He also attended Harvard Law School where he was awarded the East Asia Legal Studies Traveling Fellowship to China. Ambassador Randt is a former Governor, First Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. He is married and has three children.