Robert Mueller
Born 1944 · Age 81
American lawyer and public servant; US Marine Corps veteran; served as FBI Director (2001–2013) and Special Counsel (2017–2019) overseeing the Russia investigation.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in New York City
Born at Doctors Hospital in Manhattan to Alice C. Truesdale and Robert Swan Mueller Jr.
Gordon Medal, St. Paul's School
Won the Gordon Medal as St. Paul's School's top athlete; captain of soccer, hockey and lacrosse teams.
Graduated Princeton University (BA Politics)
Received a Bachelor of Arts in politics from Princeton University; senior thesis 'Acceptance of Jurisdiction in the South West Africa Cases.'
Married Ann Cabell Standish
Married Ann Cabell Standish at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.
Earned MA in International Relations, NYU
Completed a Master of Arts in international relations at New York University.
Joined the U.S. Marine Corps
Accepted for officer training; attended Parris Island, Officer Candidate School, Ranger School, and jump school.
Deployed to Vietnam as Rifle Platoon Leader
Served with Second Platoon, H Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division in South Vietnam.
Awarded Bronze Star with 'V' device
Earned Bronze Star for valor rescuing a wounded Marine under fire during Operation Scotland II engagement.
Wounded in Action (Purple Heart)
Sustained enemy gunshot wound in the thigh; recovered and returned to lead his platoon until June 1969.
Left active-duty Marine Corps (Captain)
Left active-duty service in August 1970 at the rank of captain after serving in Vietnam and other duties.
Earned J.D., University of Virginia School of Law
Graduated from UVA Law; served on the Virginia Law Review.
Associate at Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro
Worked as a litigator in San Francisco (1973–1976) after law school.
Joined U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California
Began service in the U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco; later rose to chief of the criminal division.
Became Chief of Criminal Division (Northern District of CA)
Rose to be chief of the criminal division in the Northern District of California.
Moved to Boston — Assistant U.S. Attorney (MA)
In 1982 he moved to Boston to serve in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts prosecuting fraud, terrorism, public corruption, narcotics and money laundering.
Acting U.S. Attorney, District of Massachusetts
Served as acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from October 10, 1986 to April 6, 1987.
Partner at Hill and Barlow (private practice)
Joined Boston firm Hill and Barlow as a partner for roughly a year (1988–1989).
Assistant to the Attorney General / Acting Deputy AG
Served in DOJ in 1989 as an assistant to Attorney General Dick Thornburgh and as acting deputy attorney general on national security matters.
U.S. Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division
Became Assistant Attorney General in charge of DOJ's Criminal Division (Aug 1990–Jan 1993), overseeing prosecutions including Noriega, Pan Am Flight 103, and John Gotti.
Elected Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
Recognized by peers with election as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Partner at Hale and Dorr (WilmerHale predecessor)
Returned to private practice as a partner specializing in white-collar crime litigation.
Senior Litigator, Homicide Section, DC U.S. Attorney's Office
Returned to public service as senior litigator in the homicide section (later became section chief in 1997).
Homicide Section Chief, DC U.S. Attorney's Office
Served as chief of the homicide section in the DC U.S. Attorney's Office.
U.S. Attorney, Northern District of California
Named U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California; held the position until 2001.
Diagnosed with prostate cancer
Diagnosed in fall 2000; this affected the timing of his Senate confirmation as FBI Director.
Acting United States Deputy Attorney General
Served as acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General from Jan 20, 2001 to May 10, 2001 during presidential transition.
Prostate surgery (confirmation delay)
Senate confirmation hearings were set around the time of his prostate cancer surgery (confirmation was delayed while he recovered).
Nominated as FBI Director by President George W. Bush
President Bush nominated Mueller for FBI Director on July 5, 2001.
Senate confirmed him as FBI Director (98–0 vote)
Unanimously confirmed by the Senate on Aug 2, 2001, vote 98–0.
Sworn in as 6th Director of the FBI
Officially became FBI Director on September 4, 2001, one week before the 9/11 attacks.
September 11 attacks (director during crisis)
Mueller led the FBI through the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the bureau's reorientation toward counterterrorism and intelligence.
Testified to Senate Intelligence Committee on state sponsors of terrorism
Testified about threats posed by seven state sponsors of terrorism ahead of the 2003 Iraq invasion.
Inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame
Recognized for his completion of Ranger School and service; inducted in 2004.
Barred FBI personnel from participating in CIA enhanced interrogations
As FBI Director, prohibited FBI employees from participating in CIA 'enhanced interrogation' techniques.
Threatened resignation over warrantless wiretapping
Mueller, Comey and Ashcroft threatened to resign to oppose White House attempts to continue a DOJ-declared-unconstitutional warrantless surveillance program; White House modified program.
President Obama asked him to continue as FBI Director
Obama asked Mueller to remain two years beyond the statutory 10-year term (Mueller's original term would have ended Sept 4, 2011).
Senate approved 2-year extension (100–0)
Senate voted unanimously (100–0) to allow Mueller to serve two additional years beyond the 10-year statutory limit.
Criticized and defended NSA surveillance (testimony)
In June 2013 Mueller defended NSA surveillance programs at a House Judiciary Committee hearing, arguing such programs could have helped stop 9/11-like attacks.
Consulting professor and lecturer at Stanford University
Served a one-year term as consulting professor and the Arthur and Frank Payne distinguished lecturer at Stanford, focusing on cybersecurity (2013–2014).
Left office as FBI Director
Completed 12-year tenure as the sixth Director of the FBI and was succeeded by James Comey.
Joined WilmerHale as partner
Re-entered private practice as a partner in WilmerHale's Washington office (2014).
Independent review of the NFL's handling of the Ray Rice case
Oversaw an independent investigation into the NFL's conduct; released a 96-page report concluding the league failed to thoroughly investigate.
Appointed Settlement Master in Volkswagen emissions litigation
Named Settlement Master in U.S. consumer litigation over the Volkswagen emissions scandal; as of May 11, 2017 customer settlements totaled $11.2 billion.
Received Thayer Award from West Point
Awarded the 2016 Thayer Award for public service by the United States Military Academy.
Booz Allen Hamilton external review
Began an external review of Booz Allen's security, personnel, and management practices after a massive NSA data theft indictment.
Appointed Special Master for Takata airbag settlements
Appointed Special Master to oversee disbursement of $850 million (automakers) and $125 million (consumers) related to Takata airbag ruptures.
Met with President Trump (courtesy meeting)
Met with President Trump to provide perspectives on the FBI and hiring considerations for a new FBI Director; reported as an interview for the job by some outlets.
Appointed Special Counsel for Russia investigation
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as Special Counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and related matters.
DOJ ethics clearance for Special Counsel role
U.S. Department of Justice ethics experts declared Mueller ethically able to serve as Special Counsel.
Indictment: Paul Manafort and Rick Gates
Mueller filed charges against former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and associate Rick Gates on multiple counts including conspiracy to launder money and FARA violations.
Michael Flynn pleads guilty (cooperation agreement)
Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI and agreed to cooperate with Mueller's team.
Indictment: 13 Russian individuals and 3 companies
Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian companies for social media and other operations to influence the 2016 election.
Charge: Alex van der Zwaan
Charged with making false statements in the Russia investigation (first sentencing from Special Counsel's probe followed in April).
Indictment: 12 GRU officers
Mueller's team indicted 12 officers of the Russian GRU for hacking Democratic Party networks and related crimes.
Paul Manafort convicted in Virginia trial
Manafort was convicted on 8 of 18 counts in the first trial tied to Mueller's investigation.
Paul Manafort pleads guilty and agrees to cooperate
Manafort pleaded guilty to reduced charges and agreed to cooperate with Mueller's team (later accused of violating plea).
Roger Stone indicted
Trump associate Roger Stone arrested and indicted on charges including obstruction, false statements, and witness tampering.
Paul Manafort sentenced (first sentencing)
Manafort sentenced to 47 months in prison for financial fraud convictions stemming from Mueller-related prosecutions.
Paul Manafort sentenced (additional sentencing)
Manafort received an additional 43-month sentence for conspiracy and obstruction charges, for a combined ~90 months.
Submitted Special Counsel's final report to Attorney General
Mueller delivered the special counsel's report on the Russia investigation to Attorney General William Barr.
Attorney General Barr issued summary letter
AG Barr summarized the report's principal conclusions to Congress, stating no conspiracy established and no prosecutorial conclusion on obstruction.
Mueller requested release of redacted summaries (letter)
Mueller wrote to AG Barr asking for release of redacted summaries to ensure context and substance were known.
Redacted Mueller Report released by DOJ
Department of Justice released the redacted Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election (Mueller Report).
Resigned as Special Counsel; Office closed
Announced retirement as Special Counsel, closed the Office of the Special Counsel, and gave public statement that 'the report is my testimony.'
Testified before House Judiciary & Intelligence Committees
Appeared for public testimony concerning the Mueller Report; testimony contained many brief answers and reiterated report contents.
Reported Mueller investigation cost released
Justice Department figures later showed the investigation cost almost $32 million through the probe.
Returned to WilmerHale private practice
Mueller, James L. Quarles, and Aaron Zebley returned to WilmerHale to resume private practice.
Roger Stone granted clemency by President Trump
Stone was granted executive clemency; Mueller publicly commented via op-ed the next day.
Published op-ed defending Mueller probe rulings (Washington Post)
Wrote op-ed stating Roger Stone 'remains a convicted felon, and rightly so' after Stone was granted clemency.
Announced to participate in UVA Law course on Mueller Report
University of Virginia Law School announced Mueller would participate in a six-session course, 'The Mueller Report and the Role of the Special Counsel,' in the coming fall.
Book 'Interference' announced; Mueller wrote the introduction
Simon & Schuster announced that Aaron Zebley, James Quarles and Andrew Goldstein would release 'Interference: The Inside Story of Trump, Russia, and the Mueller Investigation' in September; Mueller wrote the introduction.
Listed as age 81 on updated bios (ongoing public figure)
Biographical sources updated; Mueller continues to be referenced in public records and teaching engagements.
Key Achievement Ages
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