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Name: Schieffer, Tom
Current Position: Former Ambassador
John Thomas “Tom” Schieffer was sworn in as the US Ambassador to Japan on April 1, 2005 and served until January 15, 2009. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Schieffer attended the University of Texas, where he earned a BA in government (1970), an MA in international relations (1972), and studied law. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1979.
Schieffer has had a long involvement in Texas politics. At the age of 25, he was elected (as a Democrat) to the Texas House of Representatives. After serving three terms, he became a corporate lawyer specializing in the oil industry. From 1989 to 1998, he and partners George W. Bush and Edward Rose owned the Texas Rangers baseball team. Schieffer went on to develop the real estate surrounding the Rangers’ stadium. As soon as Bush became president, Schieffer was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Australia. Schieffer’s brother Bob, the host of CBS News’ Face the Nation, moderated the third Bush-Kerry debate in 2004 while Tom was Bush’s ambassador to Australia and the third Obama-McCain debate while Tom was ambassador to Japan.
Schieffer has mostly contributed to Democratic campaigns, in particular those of long-time Texas Congressman Martin Frost, according to OpenSecrets.org. He did contribute $1,000 to George W. Bush in 1999.