Cameron Kerry

Early life and education

Cameron Forbes Kerry was born in Washington, D.C. He is the fourth child of U.S. diplomat Richard Kerry and Rosemary Forbes of the Forbes family. He is the younger brother of John Kerry. Cameron Kerry graduated from Harvard College in 1972 and Boston College Law School in 1978.

Career

Early legal and private sector career

After law school, Kerry served as law clerk to U.S. Senior Circuit Judge Elbert Tuttle from 1978 to 1979. He then joined Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in Washington, D.C as an associate, before moving to Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo in Boston, where he became an associate and partner. He was an adjunct professor of Telecommunications Law at Suffolk University Law School from 1997 to 2002.

Service in the Obama Administration

On April 20, 2009, President Obama nominated Kerry, and on May 21, 2009, he was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate as the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this role, Kerry was the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and third-ranking secretarial officer. He served as the department's chief legal officer and oversaw the work of over 325 lawyers in 14 offices. Kerry also served as the department's chief ethics officer and co-chaired the secretary's Internet Policy Task Force.

Kerry was appointed acting United States Secretary of Commerce on June 1, 2013, and resumed his position as general counsel on June 26, 2013, when Penny Pritzker was sworn in as the 38th Secretary of Commerce. As the General Counsel of the Department of Commerce, Kerry was the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and third-ranking secretarial officer. He resigned his position on September 4, 2013.

Brookings Institution and AI governance

In December 2013, Kerry joined the Governance Studies program and the Center for Technology Innovation as the first Ann R. & Andrew H. Tisch Distinguished Visiting Fellow with the Brookings Institution.

At Brookings, Kerry leads two efforts: The Privacy Debate, a convening and publications series on U.S. privacy legislation, and The Forum for Cooperation on AI (FCAI), a series of roundtables seeking to identify avenues of cooperation on international AI regulation, standards, and research and development.

Kerry co-founded and helps lead FCAI, a collaboration between Brookings and the Centre for European Policy Studies.

In 2024, Kerry's report entitled Small yards, big tents: How to build cooperation on critical international standards drew coverage from the American National Standards Institute and policy media for recommending stronger U.S. and allied engagement in international standards bodies. In 2025, an essay co‑authored by Kerry argued for a distributed, networked approach to global AI governance and standards and was cited in independent outlets.

From 2014 to 2019, Kerry served as senior counsel with Sidley Austin.

Kerry has served on the board of the National Archives Foundation since 2018.

Political involvement

Kerry has worked on several of his brother John Kerry's political campaigns. In 1972, he served as strategy director for his brother's congressional campaign. In 1982, he served as campaign director for his brother's campaign for Lieutenant Governor.

During John's 2004 presidential campaign, Kerry traveled across the United States to discuss his brother's views on Israel, campaigning with Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz, writer-comedian Larry David, and Jewish elected officials. According to contemporary news reports, Kerry also served as an advisor and campaign surrogate.

In 2006, Kerry was reported to have considered a run for Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but he declined after the Democratic incumbent William F. Galvin announced that he would seek re-election.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Kerry served as the vice chair of the National Jewish Democratic Council and defended Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the Jewish press.

Personal life

Kerry is married to Kathy Weinman; they have two daughters. He converted from Roman Catholicism to Judaism in 1983 before marrying Weinman. Kerry's paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Austria who converted to Catholicism.

References

References

1. (July 25, 2012). "Cameron F. Kerry". The Washington Post.
2. "Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo Biography".
3. [http://www.commerce.gov/os/ogc/profiles/cameron-f-kerry Profile] {{Webarchive. link. (January 27, 2013 , commerce.gov; accessed August 5, 2015.)
4. "Cameron F. Kerry, Acting Secretary of Commerce".
5. (December 11, 2013). "Cameron F. Kerry". Department of Commerce.
6. "Cameron F. Kerry, Former Acting Secretary and General Counsel of Commerce, Joins Brookings as Distinguished Visiting Fellow". [[Brookings Institution]].
7. "Cameron Kerry". Lawfare.
8. "In conversation: Cameron Forbes Kerry, Ann R. and Andrew H. Tisch Distinguished Visiting Fellow – Governance Studies, Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings Institution".
9. (July 30, 2022). "Federal Privacy Law Has Momentum, but There's a Catch – The Markup". [[The Markup]].
10. "Cameron F. Kerry". Brookings Institution.
11. "The Forum for Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence". Brookings Institution.
12. Bean, Randy. "Forging A Global Path to Responsible AI To Achieve a Beneficial AI Future".
13. "Standardization News of Note". [[American National Standards Institute]].
14. "Brookings' Kerry details need for collaboration on global AI standards". Inside AI Policy.
15. "Network architecture for global AI policy".
16. "Former US Dept of Commerce GC joins Sidleys".
17. Carson, Angelique. (March 26, 2019). "Cam Kerry leaves private practice to work on a federal bill full time". [[International Association of Privacy Professionals]].
18. "Cameron Kerry". National Archives Foundation.
19. Neuman, Johanna. (October 29, 2004). "Kerry's entree to Jewish vote". Los Angeles Times.
20. O'Brien, Timothy L.. (February 15, 2004). "The 2004 Campaign: The Confidant; Kerry Turns to His Brother For Help on Big Decisions". The New York Times.
21. Phillips, Frank. (July 27, 2005). "Kerry's brother mulls a run". The Boston Globe.
22. "Obama is calling to Jews".
23. Luckerman, Sharon. (February 12, 2004). "John Kerry's Jewish Brother".
24. "Cameron Kerry and his in-laws talk of the Democratic frontrunner". Detroit Jewish News.
25. Kranish, Michael. (June 15, 2003). "A privileged youth, a taste for risk". The Boston Globe.