Klutznick joined with Nahum Goldmann, former President of the World Jewish Congress, and Pierre Mendès France, former Prime Minister of France, to issue the "Paris Declaration", encouraging an end to Israel's siege of Beirut and negotiation with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to ensure regional peace and security. Klutznick's involvement in each of these reports and statements prompted both widespread support and protest from Jewish organizations and individuals. In January 1980, Klutznick began service as U.S. Secretary of Commerce under 39th President Jimmy Carter. He took office at the age of 72, making him the oldest first-time appointee to cabinet in U.S. history. That record was broken in 2017 when Wilbur Ross became Secretary of Commerce at the age of 79. Klutznick had long-standing relationships with Vice-President Walter Mondale and U.S. Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance and his ties to the Carter administration were further strengthened by his significant role in Arab-Israeli peace talks. His appointment was viewed by some critics as an effort to strengthen Carter's status among Jewish voters. Klutznick's tenure was marked by the economic recession and inflation that characterized the later years of the Carter administration, Carter's unsuccessful bid for re-election, and the completion of the 1980 census. Personal life Klutznick married Ethel Riekes in 1930. They had six children, Bettylu, Richard, who died in early childhood, Thomas, James, Robert and Samuel. Ethel Klutznick died in 1996. Philip M. Klutznick died of Alzheimer's disease on August 14, 1999. He served as President of the Chicago Bulls franchise in 1973. His daughter, Bettylu Saltzman, is widely credited with helping launch President Barack Obama's political career. She introduced the then-community organizer to David Axelrod in 1992. References External links Guide to the Philip M. Klutznick Papers 1914-1999 at the University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center 1907 births 1999 deaths Politicians from Kansas City, Missouri Jewish American members of the Cabinet of the United States United States Secretaries of Commerce Neurological disease deaths in Illinois Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Carter administration cabinet members 20th-century American politicians American real estate businesspeople Creighton University School of Law alumni