William S. Cohen served as Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton from 1997-2001, making him the 20th U.S. defense minister. It was the first time in recent American history that a president had elected a member of the opposing party to his cabinet. Born in Bangor, Maine in 1940, Cohen, a lawyer, was a member of the U.S. Senate and Congress for 24 years. He lives with his wife in the Washington, D.C. area.
Senator George J. Mitchell served as a US Senator from 1980 to 1995, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995. He is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the United Nationals Peace Prize for his work as chairman of peace negotiations in Northern Ireland. Senator Mitchell is currently Chairman of DLA Piper, an international law firm.
