Who is Eric Garcetti, the new US ambassador to India? 5 points
In the 100-member both US Senate, where his appointment was confirmed on Wednesday, Garcetti received 52 votes in his favour, with 42 votes going against him
Eric Garcetti has been confirmed as the new US ambassador to India, and will take up a position that has been vacant since Jan 2021. Garcetti's appointment was confirmed by the US Senate on Wednesday; he was originally nominated by President Joe Biden in July 2021, and renominated in January this year.
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A Biden loyalist, Garcetti received 52 votes in his favour, with 42 votes going against him. In New Delhi, the 52-year-old will succeed Ken Juster, who was nominated by then President Donald Trump and became the envoy to India in May 2017, and resigned after the change in presidency from Trump to Biden.
Meanwhile, here is a brief profile of Eric Garcetti:
(1.) According to his website, he was raised in the San Fernando Valley, and did both B.A. and M.A. from the Columbia University. He was a Rhodes Scholar at the Oxford University and also studied at the London School of Economics (LSE).
(2.) He has also had teaching stints, at Occidental College, and University of South California (USC). Garcetti also served as an officer in the United States Navy Reserve for 12 years.
(3.) From July 2013 to December 2022, he was the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles. The first Jewish mayor of the country's second-largest city, he was also elected four times by his peers to serve as the President of the City Council (2006-2012).
(4.) His mayoral tenure, however, witnessed several controversies, including allegations of sexual harassment against his friend and adviser, Rick Jacobs. Garcetti has repeatedly stressed he was oblivious to Jacobs' alleged behaviour.
(5.) His father, Gil, served as the 40th district attorney of the Los Angeles county, across two terms. His wife, Amy, was a fellow Rhodes Scholar at Oxford; the couple were married in Jan 2009 and are parents to an adopted daughter.