Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., an attorney who has defended employers against OSHA citation charges for more than 20 years, and a former chairman of the Occupational Health and Safety Review Commission, was announced September 15 as President Bush's intended nominee to be the head of OSHA.

Foulke, 52, is currently a partner in the law firm of Jackson Lewis LLP, working out of offices in Greenville, S.C., and Washington, D.C. Jackson Lewis is a large, national firm with 20 offices in the U.S.

President Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, appointed Foulke to the review commission in March 1990. At age 37, Foulke became the youngest chairman in the Bush administration and the youngest chairman in review commission history. The commission hears appeals by employers contesting alleged standards violations, and Foulke decided hundreds of cases before leaving the commission in 1995.

Since then, Foulke has been active in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's OSHA practice group, testifying before Congress on issues including updating permissible exposure limits and voluntary third-party consultations.

Foulke has authored several books on safety and health, including the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce's "Guide to Safety and Health" and the "North Carolina Safety & Health Guide" for the North Carolina Citizens for Business & Industry, according to a profile posted on the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) Web site.

Foulke was appointed a member of the Bush/Cheney Transition Policy Advisory Panel for the Department of Labor in 2000. He is the current chairman of the Greenville County (S.C.) Republican Party, according to the RNLA.

An All-American swimmer in high school and college, Foulke received his bachelor's degree in political science from North Carolina State University, his law degree from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans, and also received a masters in Law (Labor Law) degree from Georgetown University Law Center.