1. Andrew Franklin Puzder is an American attorney, author, and businessman.
45 Facts About Andrew Puzder
1. 2.
Andrew Puzder is the former chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Hardee's and Carl's Jr.
3.
Andrew Puzder was previously a commercial trial lawyer in private practice from 1978 to 1995 who handled many high-profile cases and was active in the anti-abortion movement.
4.
On January 22,2025, President Trump announced his nomination of Puzder to serve as United States Ambassador to the European Union in his second administration.
5.
Andrew Puzder is a frequent commentator on economic and political issues.
6.
Andrew Puzder co-authored the book entitled Job Creation: How It Really Works and Why Government Doesn't Understand It.
7.
On December 8,2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Andrew Puzder to serve as Secretary of Labor, but on February 15,2017, he withdrew due to lack of votes needed for his confirmation.
8.
Andrew Puzder grew up in a working class community in Russell Township.
9.
Andrew Puzder then attended Washington University School of Law where he was the senior editor of the Washington University Law Quarterly, receiving his JD in 1978.
10.
Andrew Puzder would become the first in his family to graduate from college.
11.
From 1978 to 1991, Andrew Puzder was a commercial trial lawyer in St Louis at the law offices of famed attorney Morris Shenker, whom he represented in various matters from 1978 to 1984.
12.
In July 1989, Andrew Puzder was appointed chair of the Task Force for Mothers and Unborn Children by Missouri Governor John Ashcroft.
13.
Andrew Puzder is a good, loving, kind man and a deeply committed and loving father.
14.
Andrew Puzder left the task force a few months later due to workload according to St Louis Post-Dispatch.
15.
Andrew Puzder represented Carl Karcher, the founder of the Carl's Jr.
16.
In 1991, Karcher asked Andrew Puzder to move to Orange County, California and become his personal attorney and Andrew Puzder did so.
17.
Andrew Puzder has been credited with resolving Karcher's financial dilemma, allowing Karcher to avoid bankruptcy and retain a significant ownership interest in the company he founded, CKE Restaurants, Inc.
18.
In January 1995, Andrew Puzder became Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Fidelity, managing one of the largest corporate legal departments in the country until June 2000.
19.
Andrew Puzder worked with Foley to create Santa Barbara Restaurant Group, a conglomerate of restaurant chains that was purchased by CKE in 2002.
20.
In 1997, Andrew Puzder was named Executive Vice President and General Counsel for CKE and CKE purchased the Hardee's quick-service restaurant brand.
21.
Andrew Puzder underperformed and its market capitalization dropped to about $200 million.
22.
Andrew Puzder is credited with turning around both the Hardee's brand and CKE, allowing the company to survive, become financially secure and return to growth.
23.
In December 2013, Roark Capital Group purchased CKE and retained CKE's management team including Andrew Puzder, who remained CEO until replaced in June 2017.
24.
Andrew Puzder earned the Golden Chain Award in 2008 from Nation's Restaurant News, in honor of his accomplishments and career achievements as a multi-unit foodservice executive.
25.
In 2012, Washington University School of Law named Andrew Puzder Distinguished Alumni of the Year.
26.
Under Andrew Puzder, CKE launched a long-running ad campaign for Carl's Jr.
27.
Andrew Puzder is a frequent author on economic and legal issues in periodicals such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Real Clear Politics, CNBC online, National Review, The Hill, Politico, and the Orange County Register.
28.
Andrew Puzder was the interviewee on Tucker Carlson Today's 2023 episode Burgers to Billions.
29.
Andrew Puzder is a frequent speaker at colleges, universities, and other venues on economic issues and the impact of government regulations on corporations.
30.
In 2018, Andrew Puzder wrote the book The Capitalist Comeback: The Trump Boom and the Left's Plot to Stop It.
31.
In 2011, Andrew Puzder contributed to Believe in America, Mitt Romney's Plan for Jobs and Economic Growth.
32.
Andrew Puzder was an Economic Adviser and a spokesman for the Romney campaign for President.
33.
Andrew Puzder served as a Delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention and as the Chairman of the Platform Committee's Sub-Committee on the Economy, Job Creation, and the Debt.
34.
In 2016, Andrew Puzder raised money for the Trump campaign for President, and with his wife contributed $332,000 to Trump's campaign, joint fundraising committees, and the Republican National Committee, according to the Federal Election Commission.
35.
Andrew Puzder was a Trump Presidential Trustee, Victory Finance Chair for California, spokesperson, and Senior Economic Advisor to the campaign.
36.
Andrew Puzder served as a Delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention and as the Chairman of the Platform Committee's "Restoring the American Dream" Sub-Committee on the economy, job creation, and the debt.
37.
On December 8,2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Andrew Puzder to be United States Secretary of Labor.
38.
Andrew Puzder's confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was delayed several times due to the Office of Government Ethics not having finalized its review specifying how Andrew Puzder would avoid ethical conflicts.
39.
Sources close to Andrew Puzder insist that he had maintained transparency and provided an enormous amount of detail in order to streamline the confirmation process.
40.
Andrew Puzder has been critical of raising the federal minimum wage, claiming that a $15 per hour minimum wage would increase costs for consumers and increase automation, leading to fewer jobs.
41.
Andrew Puzder opposes raising the $2.13 per hour minimum wage for tipped workers.
42.
Andrew Puzder opposed a never-enacted rule that would have required time and a half overtime pay to certain salaried managers when they worked more than 40 hours per week.
43.
Andrew Puzder stated that rising premiums have created a "government-mandated restaurant recession" because people have less money to spend dining out.
44.
Andrew Puzder was married to Lisa Fierstein Henning from 1973 until their divorce in 1987, and they had two children together.
45.
In 2013, Andrew Puzder was elected as a director of the International Franchise Association.