Christopher Wray was a leader.
He led a group called the FBI. He helped keep people safe. This work matters to our country. He worked hard for many years. Do you want to learn more?
Christopher Wray was a leader.
He led a group called the FBI.
He was born in New York City. He went to school at Yale. He studied many things there.
Later, he worked for the government. He helped lead a group that looks for crimes. He worked for many years.
He became the head of the FBI in 2017.
A president picked him for this job.
He worked to keep the land safe. He led the group for seven years. He did a big job.
Christopher Wray is an American lawyer.
He led the FBI from 2017 to 2025. The FBI is a group that looks for crimes.
Wray was born in New York City. He studied at Yale University. He also went to Yale Law School. Before leading the FBI, he worked in many ways. He worked for the government in Georgia. He also worked for a large law firm. He led a group that looked at crimes.
In 2017, President Donald Trump picked Wray for the FBI job. The U.S. Senate said yes to his choice.
Wray took the job in August. By law, an FBI leader serves for ten years. Wray served for seven years.
During his time, Wray spoke about many big issues. He talked about threats from China.
He said China was a large threat to the U.S. He also spoke about the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Wray said he would leave his job in early 2025.
Christopher Asher Wray is an American attorney. He served as the eighth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, from 2017 to 2025.
The FBI is a large government group that investigates crimes. Wray was chosen for this role by President Donald Trump. This job is very important for keeping the country safe. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the agency.
His career began with many different types of legal work. After law school, he worked as a law clerk for a judge. In 1997, he became an Assistant United States Attorney in Georgia. He later worked in the Justice Department. From 2003 to 2005, he was the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division.
During that time, he looked into big cases involving fraud. He even thought about resigning once to stand up for what he believed was right.
Before becoming the FBI director, Wray spent time in private law. He worked at a large firm called King & Spalding. He was a partner there from 2005 until 2016. He helped many big companies with their legal problems. This experience helped him learn how to handle very difficult tasks. His background in both government and private law prepared him for leadership.
In 2017, Wray officially took charge of the FBI. He was sworn in by Attorney General Jeff Sessions on August 2.
Federal law says an FBI director should serve a ten-year term. Wray served for seven years of that time. During his years in office, he spoke about many serious issues. He talked about threats from China and the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
He also spoke about how the FBI fights cyber crimes.
Many things happened while Wray was leading the FBI. He dealt with questions about how the agency treats people. He also talked about how foreign countries might try to interfere in elections. For example, he said Russia was a major threat to elections. He worked to catch many criminals during his time in charge. Wray announced he would leave his position in early 2025. This will happen when the Biden administration ends.
Christopher Asher Wray is a prominent American attorney. He served as the eighth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, known as the FBI. He held this leadership position from 2017 to 2025.
The FBI is a major government agency responsible for investigating crimes. The director is a powerful role that requires overseeing many agents and complex legal matters. By law, the director is appointed to serve a ten-year term to ensure stability within the agency.
Wray's career began with a strong focus on legal education and service. He was born in New York City and attended Yale University. He graduated cum laude in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy. Later, he earned a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1992. He started his professional life as a law clerk for Judge J. Michael Luttig. This role helped him understand the inner workings of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
His journey into government service involved several high-level roles. In 1997, he became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. He later moved to the Department of Justice in 2001. From 2003 to 2005, President George W. Bush appointed him as the Assistant Attorney General. In this role, he led the Criminal Division. He managed significant fraud investigations, such as the Enron case.
During this time, he also faced difficult ethical decisions regarding government surveillance programs.
Before leading the FBI, Wray worked in the private legal sector. He was a litigation partner at the multinational law firm King & Spalding. He worked there from 2005 until 2016. He represented many Fortune 100 companies during this period. He also chaired the firm's Special Matters and Government Investigations Practice Group. His firm represented large Russian energy companies like Gazprom and Rosneft. These business connections became a topic of discussion during his later confirmation process.
President Donald Trump nominated Wray to replace James Comey in 2017. After a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate confirmed him. The vote was 92 to 5, showing strong bipartisan support.
Wray was officially sworn in on August 2, 2017. Although his term was meant to last ten years, he served for seven years. He announced his resignation in December 2024. He planned to leave his post in January 2025 at the end of the Biden administration.
During his tenure, Wray managed many complex national security threats. He frequently spoke about the risks posed by foreign interference. He identified Russia as a significant threat to the 2020 election. He also addressed the threat of economic espionage from China. Wray stated that the FBI opens a new China-related counterintelligence case every 10 hours. He noted that nearly half of the 5,000 active counterintelligence cases involved China.
He also discussed large-scale data breaches that impacted millions of Americans.
Wray also dealt with domestic issues and internal agency reviews. He addressed the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol, calling it domestic terrorism. He also oversaw investigations into potential misconduct within the FBI. In 2022, he approved "Arctic Frost," an investigation into false electoral certificates. Throughout his leadership, Wray focused on the professionalism and objectivity of his workforce. He worked to balance the demands of political leaders with the legal duties of the FBI.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (3)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.