28 Facts About Jim Bacchus

James Leonard Bacchus was born on June 21,1949 and is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as a member of the US House of Representatives from Florida from 1991 to 1995.

Jim Bacchus was a founding member and twice chairman of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland from 1995 to 2003.

Jim Bacchus later became a fellow of the European Institute for International Law and International Relations.

Jim Bacchus earned an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Arts in History from Yale University, and a Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the FSU Law Review.

From 1968 to 1973, Jim Bacchus was a reporter and columnist for the Orlando Sentinel in Florida and Washington.

Jim Bacchus was Deputy Press Secretary and Chief Speechwriter for Florida Governor Reubin Askew from 1974 to 1976.

Jim Bacchus became Askew's special assistant from 1979 to 1981, after Askew was appointed US Trade Representative.

Jim Bacchus served as Chairman of the WTO Appellate Body from 2001 to 2003.

In 1990, Jim Bacchus was elected as a member of the Democratic Party to represent Florida's 11th congressional district in the 102nd Congress and Florida's 15th congressional district in the 103rd Congress in 1992.

Jim Bacchus's districts included Orlando, Cape Canaveral, and much of East Central Florida.

Jim Bacchus was an active member of Congressional committees on science, space, technology, banking, and other financial services.

Jim Bacchus served as a member of the select committee on children.

Jim Bacchus was a lead sponsor and supporter of the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, the successful repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, and numerous other legislative initiatives involving public and private space exploration.

Jim Bacchus sponsored legislation establishing the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge for endangered sea turtles, expanding the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, and restoring the natural flow of the Kissimmee River into the Florida Everglades.

Jim Bacchus was the original co-sponsor of the implementing legislation for the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade agreements establishing the World Trade Organization and leading supporter of numerous other trade initiatives, including the North American Free Trade Agreement and normal trade relations with China.

Jim Bacchus was a founding member and twice chairman of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, from 1995 to 2003.

Jim Bacchus was nominated on a bipartisan basis by the United States and twice appointed to the Appellate Body by consensus of the now 164 countries that are members of the WTO.

Jim Bacchus served eight years as a founding judge, the only American judge, and was one of the seven judges worldwide.

Jim Bacchus was twice elected as Chairman in 2002 and 2003.

Jim Bacchus helped establish the Appellate Body as a leading global tribunal and the WTO dispute settlement system as a leading framework for resolving international disputes and upholding the international rule of law.

On February 23,2007, Jim Bacchus was named to a Department of Defense panel reviewing the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal.

Jim Bacchus currently serves as a Distinguished University Professor of Global Affairs and the Director of the Center for Global Economic and Environmental Opportunity at the University of Central Florida.

Jim Bacchus was a member of the High Level Advisory Panel to the President of the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2014 to 2016.

Jim Bacchus has served as Chairman of the Commission on Trade and Investment Policy of the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce since 2012.

Jim Bacchus served as Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Governance for Sustainability of the Davos-based World Economic Forum from 2012 to 2014.

Jim Bacchus was a member of the Global Future Council on Trade and Foreign Direct Investment of the World Economic Forum from 2011 to 2012 and since 2014.

Jim Bacchus has been a member of the Bretton Woods Committee since 1995, and elected life member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 1995.

Jim Bacchus has been a member of the list of arbitration chairpersons under the CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Caribbean CARIFORUM states since 2016.