Joan Buckler Claybrook (born June 12, 1937) is an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and lobbyist who was president of

Public Citizen Public Citizen is an American non-profit, Progressivism in the United States, progressive consumer rights advocacy group, and think tank based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1971 by the American activist and lawyer Ralph Nader. Lobbying e ...

from 1982 to 2009.Snyder, Jim (December, 2008)
Claybrook steps down at Public Citizen group.
'' The Hill'' She also served in the

Carter administration Jimmy Carter's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 39th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Jimmy Carter, his inauguration on January 20, 1977, and ended on January 20, 1981. Carter, a Democratic Party ...

as head of the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation, focused on automobile safety regulations. NHTSA is charged with writing and enforcing Feder ...

(NHTSA) from 1977 to 1981.Roosevelt, Margot (August 8, 2006)
Q & A: Joan Claybrook.
''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

Early life, education, and early career

Claybrook was born and raised in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. She attended

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1885 as a Nonsectarian, nonsecterian Women's colleges in the United States, ...

, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1959. In 1973, she earned a J.D. degree from

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 ...

. Between college and law school, she worked in the congressional liaison's office at the

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government that administers Social Security (United ...

for six years before moving to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in 1965 to complete a fellowship with the

American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political scientists in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, it publishes four ...

. She also briefly worked as a staffer for Senator Walter F. Mondale.

Career

In 1977, Claybrook was appointed by President

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 ...

to head the then 10-year-old National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Prior to her time with NHTSA, Claybrook ran Congress Watch, worked for the

Public Interest Research Group Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) are a federation of U.S. and Canadian non-profit organizations that employ grassroots organizing and direct advocacy on issues such as consumer protection, public health and transportation. The PIRGs are cl ...

(PIRG), the National Traffic Safety Bureau, the

, the

Department of Health, Education, and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a Cabinet of the United States, cabinet-level United States federal executive departments, executive branch department of the federal government of the United States, US federal ...

. During her early years in Washington, D.C., she met

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American lawyer and political activist involved in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. He is a Perennial candidate, perennial presidential candidate. His 1965 book '' ...

while advocating for improving highway and auto safety. In 1966, she lobbied with Nader for the successful passage of the nation's first auto safety laws: the

National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was enacted in the United States in 1966 to empower the federal government to set and administer new safety standards for motor vehicles and road traffic safety. The Act was the first mandatory fed ...

and the Highway Safety Act. She was also involved in efforts for stricter automobile regulations. Some of these rules, such as her mandate that speedometers read no higher than 85 miles per hour, proved unpopular with U.S. car owners and were later overturned. Claybrook was also a prominent advocate for the use of

airbag An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate in milliseconds during a collision and then deflate afterwards. It consists of an airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. ...

s in automobiles.

Board service

Claybrook currently serves on Georgetown University Law Center's board of visitors. She also holds positions on the boards of

Consumers Union A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or use purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. Th ...

Citizens for Tax Justice Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank and advocacy group founded in 1979 focusing on tax policies and their impact. CTJ's work focuses primarily on federal tax policy, but also analyzes state and local tax polic ...

, Public Justice, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the

board of trustees, and the California Wellness Foundation advisory board.Conniff, Ruth (March, 1999)
Joan Claybrook - consumer advocate - Interview.
''

The Progressive ''The Progressive'' is a left-leaning American magazine and website covering politics and culture. Founded in 1909 by U.S. senator Robert M. La Follette Sr. and co-edited with his wife Belle Case La Follette, it was originally called ''La Foll ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Claybrook, Joan Georgetown University Law Center alumni Consumer rights activists Living people 1937 births Goucher College alumni Public Citizen