Antonia Handler Chayes
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Antonia "Toni" Handler Chayes (born July 21, 1929) is an American lawyer and educator who served as
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) is the title of a civilian office in the United States Department of the Air Force. Along with the four other Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, assistant secretaries of the ai ...
from 1977 to 1979 and as
United States Under Secretary of the Air Force The under secretary of the air force (USECAF, or SAF/US), sometimes referred to as the under secretary of the Department of the Air Force, is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the Department of the Air Force of the United States of ...
from 1979 to 1981.


Biography

Antonia Handler was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
on July 21, 1929. She married
Abram Chayes Abram Chayes (July 18, 1922 – April 16, 2000) was an American scholar of international law closely associated with the administration of John F. Kennedy. He is best known for his "legal process" approach to international law, which attempt ...
on December 24, 1947; they had five children, including journalist
Sarah Chayes Sarah Chayes (born March 5, 1962) is a former senior associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former reporter for National Public Radio, she also served as special advisor to the ch ...
. She was educated at
Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...
, receiving a
B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...
in 1950.List of Radcliffe Honored Alumnae
She then attended
Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...
before transferring to the
Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...
and receiving her law degree in 1953. From 1959 to 1961, Chayes was executive assistant to
Erwin Griswold Erwin Nathaniel Griswold (; July 14, 1904 – November 19, 1994) was an American appellate attorney and legal scholar who argued many cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Griswold served as Solicitor General of the United States (1967–1973) unde ...
, the
Dean of Harvard Law School The dean of Harvard Law School is the head of Harvard Law School. The current dean is John F. Manning—the 13th person to hold the post—who succeeded Martha Minow in 2017. List of deans of Harvard Law School Founded in 1817, Harvard Law Schoo ...
. In 1961, she joined the staff of the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
, where she worked drafting correspondence. She was then a consultant to a
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
community development firm 1962-63, and a social science adviser to the
National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primar ...
1964-65. From 1966 to 1968, she was director of education and urban development for the
Model Cities Program The Model Cities Program was an element of U.S. President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society and War on Poverty. The concept was presented by labor leader Walter Reuther to President Johnson in an off-the-record White House meeting on May 20, 1965 ...
's Action for Boston Community Development program. In 1968, she became the
dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...
of the
Jackson College for Women The School of Arts and Sciences (A&S) is a school of Tufts University, a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It is the largest of the eight schools and colleges that comprise the university. Together with the Sc ...
(later incorporated into
Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...
). From 1970 to 1972, she was an
associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...
of
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
at Tufts. Chayes then spent 1972-73 as the
law clerk A law clerk, judicial clerk, or judicial assistant is a person, often a lawyer, who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by Legal research, researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial ...
of Judge Charles Edward Wyzanski Jr. of the
United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose Jurisdiction (area), territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth (U.S. state), C ...
. In 1974, she joined the
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
of Csaplar & Bok as a partner.


Carter Administration

In 1977,
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
nominated Chayes to be
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) is the title of a civilian office in the United States Department of the Air Force. Along with the four other Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, assistant secretaries of the ai ...
. She held this position until 1979, when she became
United States Under Secretary of the Air Force The under secretary of the air force (USECAF, or SAF/US), sometimes referred to as the under secretary of the Department of the Air Force, is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the Department of the Air Force of the United States of ...
, a position she held until 1981.Profile from the Fletcher School
After leaving the Carter Administration, Chayes joined the faculty of the
John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
in 1981, teaching there until 2003. There, she became Chair of the Project on Compliance and International Conflict Management at the
Program on Negotiation The Program on Negotiation (PON) is a university consortium dedicated to developing the theory and practice of negotiation and dispute resolution. As a community of scholars and practitioners, PON serves a unique role in the world negotiation commu ...
. She also served on the
Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
of the
United Technologies Corporation United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational corporation, multinational list of conglomerates, conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous are ...
from 1981 to 2002. She also continued to practice law with Csaplar & Bok. In 2003, she became Professor of Practice of International Politics and Law at
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. Fletcher is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations. As of 2017, the student b ...
.


Selected works

* with Paul M. Doty, ''Defending Deterrence: Managing the ABM Treaty Regime Into the 21st Century'' (Brassey's, 1989). * with
Abram Chayes Abram Chayes (July 18, 1922 – April 16, 2000) was an American scholar of international law closely associated with the administration of John F. Kennedy. He is best known for his "legal process" approach to international law, which attempt ...
, ''The New Sovereignty: Compliance with International Regulating Agreements'' (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995). * with George T. Raach, eds., ''Peace Operations: Developing an American Strategy'' (Washington, DC: National Defense University Press, 1995). * with Abram Chayes, ''Preventing Conflict in the Post-Communist World: Mobilizing International and Regional Organizations'' (Washington, DC: Brookings, 1996). * with Abram Chayes, Alexei Arbatov, and Lara Olson, eds., ''Managing Conflict in the Former Soviet Union'' (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1997). * with Abram Chayes, ''Planning for Intervention: International Cooperation in Conflict Management'' (The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1999). * with
Martha Minow Martha Louise Minow (born December 6, 1954) is an American legal scholar and the 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard University. She served as the 12th Dean of Harvard Law School between 2009 and 2017 and has taught at the Law Schoo ...
, eds., ''Imagine Coexistence: Restoring Humanity After Violent Conflict'' (San Francisco, CA: 2003). * "How American Treaty Behavior Threatens National Security" in 33 ''International Security'' 45 (2008). * ''Borderless Wars: Civil Military Disorder and Legal Uncertainty'' (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2015).


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chayes, Antonia Handler 1929 births Living people United States Air Force civilians Radcliffe College alumni Yale Law School alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni The Fletcher School at Tufts University faculty Women in the United States Air Force