Elizabeth Warren

A decade before she ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, before she was the senior senator from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren was tasked with one of the most daunting tasks in Washington: setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

As a law school professor and one of the nation’s foremost experts in bankruptcy law, Warren had been an early advocate for a consumer-focused agency. When the CFPB was established under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010, Warren was appointed by then-President Obama to helm the agency’s setup. 

Over the months that followed, Warren oversaw the hiring of hundreds of bureau employees, consulted with businesses, lawmakers, consumer protection groups and financial industry representatives, and she became the public face of the budding regulatory agency.

Warren, who drew broad support from consumer advocates and fierce opposition from Republicans and the financial industry, did not serve as the inaugural director of the agency she helped create. That job went to former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray.

But her role in launching the CFPB won her millions of supporters, paved the way for her successful campaign to oust former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) in 2012 and eventually made her one of the most anticipated Democratic presidential candidates of the 2020 election. 

— Max Greenwood

photo: Greg Nash