Carol E. Dinkins Explained

Carol Dinkins
Birth Name:Carol Eggert Dinkins
Birth Date:9 November 1945
Alma Mater:University of Texas at Austin (BS)
University of Houston (JD)
Birth Place:Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
Office:20th United States Deputy Attorney General
Termstart:May 23, 1984[1]
Termend:1985
Predecessor:Edward C. Schmults
Successor:D. Lowell Jensen
President:Ronald Reagan
Office2:25th United States Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division
Termstart2:1981
Termend2:1983
Predecessor2:James W. Moorman
Successor2:F. Henry Habicht II

Carol Eggert Dinkins (born November 9, 1945) is an American attorney.[2] Under President Ronald Reagan, Dinkins served as the Assistant Attorney General of the Land and Natural Resources Division at the Department of Justice,[3] and later the 20th United States Deputy Attorney General. Under President George W. Bush, Dinkins chaired the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.[4]

Early life and education

Dinkins was born on November 9, 1945, in Corpus Christi, Texas. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelors of science in education in 1968. Dinkins received her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1971.

Career

Private practice

Out of law school, Dinkins worked at the Law Institute for two years before joining Vinson & Elkins as an associate in 1973.[5] She became a partner in 1979, becoming the first female partner at a major law firm in the state of Texas.[6] Dinkins returned to Vinson & Elkins after her various stints in government, and served as chair of the firm's environmental group until her retirement.[7] One of Dinkins's signature accomplishments as a private environmental was the resolution of two major cases in two courts over 3,000 miles apart on the same day, in October 2007.

Government

In 1981, Dinkins was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as the Assistant Attorney General of the Land and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice (now known as the Environment and Natural Resources Division). While serving as AAG, President Reagan appointed Dinkins to chair his Task Force on Legal Equity for Women.[8] After ending her tenure as AAG and returning to private practice, President Reagan appointed Dinkins as the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, the number two position in the Justice Department.[9] This made Dinkins the highest-ranking woman in the Department of Justice at the time and the first woman to ever serve in the role. In 1997, Dinkins was appointed as a commissioner of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, and was the only commissioner ever to have visited every state park in Texas.[10] In 2006, President George W. Bush appointed Dinkins to chair the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.[4] Dinkins returned to private practice in 2008.

Notes and References

  1. News: Justice Department; How to Make History with a Lot of Modesty . The New York Times . 25 May 1984 . Werner . Leslie Maitland .
  2. Web site: Lifetime Achiever: Carol E. Dinkins. Texas Lawyer. 22 February 2016.
  3. Web site: Carol Dinkins (1981-1983). U.S. Department of Justice. 22 February 2016.
  4. Web site: Lifetime Achiever: Carol E. Dinkins. Texas Lawyer. 23 February 2016.
  5. Web site: Carol E. Dinkins, Oral History Transcript. Sep 2, 2005. 22 February 2016. American Bar Association.
  6. Web site: Carol E. Dinkins, Oral History Transcript. Sep 16, 2005. American Bar Association. 22 February 2016.
  7. Web site: The Texas Lawbook Names Harry Reasoner and Carol Dinkins "Lions of the Texas Bar" - Vinson & Elkins LLP. www.velaw.com. 2016-02-23.
  8. News: REAGAN CREATES SPECIAL PANEL ON EGUAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN. The New York Times. 1981-12-22. 2016-02-23. 0362-4331. Ap.
  9. News: No Headline. The New York Times. 1984-04-29. 2016-02-23. 0362-4331.
  10. Web site: Dinkins, Carol Eggert - TWU Texas Women's Hall of Fame - Texas Woman's University. www.twu.edu. 2016-02-23. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130208092844/http://www.twu.edu/twhf/tw-dinkins.asp. 2013-02-08.