Who hired Jerome Powell the first time?

1. Who hired Jerome Powell the first time — the short answer

Jerome Powell’s initial entry onto the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors was a presidential appointment by Barack Obama in 2012; that is when he “first” became a Fed governor, filling an unexpired term beginning May 25, 2012 ^{[1] [3]}.

2. Distinguishing “appointed to the Board” from “named Chair”

The role of a Fed governor and the role of Fed Chair are related but separate: governors are presidential appointees to 14‑year (staggered) terms; the Chair is a governor whom the president separately nominates for a four‑year Chair term and the Senate confirms. Powell was first appointed as a governor under Obama in 2012 and was later nominated by President Trump to be Chair in November 2017 and sworn in as Chair on February 5, 2018 ^{[1] [2]}.

3. Timeline of Powell’s early Fed career

Powell was appointed to fill an unexpired Board term and took his seat as a governor on May 25, 2012; he was reappointed to the Board in 2014 for a full term and then nominated by President Trump to be Chair in November 2017, with his first chair term beginning February 5, 2018 ^{[1] [2]}.

4. Why people sometimes say Trump “appointed” Powell first

When journalists or politicians say “Trump appointed Powell,” they typically mean Trump nominated him to be Chair in 2017. That nomination elevated Powell from governor to the system’s top post; this distinction explains reporting that Trump “picked” or “named” Powell to head the Fed even though Powell was already a governor from an earlier Obama appointment ^{[2] [4]}.

5. How different sources phrase Powell’s appointments

Official Fed and Federal Reserve History pages state explicitly that Powell became a governor in 2012 and first took office as Chair in February 2018 after Trump’s 2017 nomination ^{[1] [5]}. Media outlets and analyses often stress the 2017 Trump nomination because the Chair role is the higher‑profile position and the one that sets monetary policy leadership ^{[2] [6]}.

6. Political context and competing perspectives

Observers across the political spectrum note the bipartisan nature of Powell’s path: a Republican by affiliation appointed to the Board by Democratic President Obama (as a compromise candidate) and later elevated to Chair by Republican President Trump ^{[6] [7]}. Some critics highlight that Trump later complained about Powell’s rate decisions despite having named him Chair, while defenders point to Powell’s continuity and institutional independence as a Fed governor‑turned‑chair ^{[8] [9]}.

7. What the appointment process looks like (why it matters)

Legally, the president nominates governors and separately nominates the Chair; both nominations require Senate confirmation. That procedural reality explains why different presidents can play different roles in a single official’s Fed career: one president can appoint a person to the Board and another can later nominate that same person to be Chair ^{[3] [10]}.

8. Remaining questions and what the sources do not say

Available sources do not mention any other individual or body “hiring” Powell to the Fed before Obama’s 2012 appointment; they also do not contradict the timeline that Trump nominated him for Chair in November 2017 and he took the Chair office in February 2018 ^{[1] [2]}. If you want confirmation of the Senate roll‑call votes or the White House nomination statements, those are not provided in the current set of sources and would require checking Senate records or White House releases (not found in current reporting).

9. Bottom line for readers

Powell’s “first” hiring onto the Federal Reserve was by President Barack Obama in 2012 when he became a governor; his later, higher‑profile elevation to Fed Chair came via President Donald Trump’s nomination in November 2017 and Powell’s swearing‑in as Chair on February 5, 2018 ^{[1] [2]}.