Mary Laurie Azcuenaga (born July 25, 1945) is an American attorney who served from 1984 to 1998 as a member of the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...

(FTC). As of 2017, Azcuenaga is one of just three political independents to serve on the FTC.

Early life and career

Born to a family of

Basque-American Basque Americans (, ) are Americans of Basque descent. According to the 2000 US census, there are 57,793 Americans of full or partial Basque descent. Ties to early American history Referring to the historical ties that existed between the Ba ...

descent, Azcuenaga was born on July 25, 1945, in

Council, Idaho Council is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Idaho, Adams County, Idaho, United States. The population was 839 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Major events Porcupine Races Council holds a "World Champion Porcupine ...

. Azcuenaga received her undergraduate degree from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, graduating with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

(A.B.) in 1967. In 1973, she graduated from the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It employs more than 180 full-time and part-time facul ...

with a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

(J.D.) degree. Azcuenaga began her career within the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), joining the agency as an assistant to the General Counsel in 1975.

Member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Azcuenaga remained in various legal roles within the FTC until 1984, when she was appointed to serve as a commissioner by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

. Azcuenaga was sworn into the body on November 27, 1984, to a term ending on September 25, 1991, replacing former commissioner Michael Pertschuk. The ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' reported on her nomination by noting that as a political independent, she was seen as less conservative than the FTC's two Republican appointees. Additionally, it was noted that Azcuenaga was seen as a strong nominee owing to her being a

woman A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

background. However, the article noted that Azcuenaga "doesn't believe in using the Hispanic label for political advantage", with Azcuenaga herself stating "I've been told I count as a Hispanic... I'm proud of my

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

heritage." In 1991, she was re-appointed to a second term in office by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

in 1991. Azcuenaga remained on the FTC until June 3, 1998, when she chose to resign months before her second term was set to expire. During her tenure, Azcuenaga joined a majority in opposition to taking action against cigarette brand

Camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

over its "

Joe Camel Joe Camel (also called Old Joe) was an advertising mascot used by the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) for their cigarette brand Camel (cigarette), Camel. The character was created in 1974 for a French advertising campaign, and was redesign ...

" cartoon mascot. In a joint statement, Azcuenaga argued:

"Although it may seem intuitive to some that the Joe Camel advertising campaign would lead more children to smoke, or lead children to smoke more, the evidence to support that intuition is not there."

Azcuenaga was replaced on the FTC in 1999 by antitrust attorney Thomas B. Leary, a member of the Republican Party. As of 2017, Azcuenaga is one of just three independents to have served on the FTC, along with

Philip Elman Philip Elman (March 14, 1918 – November 30, 1999) was an American lawyer at the United States Department of Justice and former member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Elman is best known for writing the government's brief in ''Brown v. ...

(who served from 1961 to 1970) and Pamela Jones Harbour (who served from 2003 to 2009).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azcuenaga, Mary 1945 births Living people People from Council, Idaho Idaho independents Federal Trade Commission personnel Federal Trade Commission Antitrust lawyers Basque-American history American people of Basque descent American politicians of Basque descent