Richard Danzig was sworn in as the 71st Secretary of the Navy on November 16, 1998. From September 1997 to November of 1998, he was an adjunct professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and a Traveling Fellow of the Center for International Political Economy. Mr. Danzig also served as the 26th Under Secretary of the Navy, from November 1993 to May 1997, at which time he was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service and the Navy Distinguished Service Awards.

Mr. Danzig was a Washington partner of the national law firm of Latham & Watkins from 1981 to 1993. From 1979 to 1981, Mr. Danzig served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower, Reserve Affairs and Logistics. Prior to that, he served for a year and a half in the same office as a Deputy Assistant Secretary.

Mr. Danzig has taught contract law at Stanford and Harvard Universities, lectured extensively on a variety of national security and legal issues, and published numerous articles on legal topics and a book on American and British contract law.

A graduate of Reed College, Mr. Danzig also holds a J.D. degree from Yale Law School, as well as Bachelor of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in history from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Upon his graduation from law school, Mr. Danzig served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Byron White.