Larry Grant (politician) - Biography

Biography

Grant earned his bachelor's degree from Columbia College of Columbia University in 1968 and his law degree from the University of Denver College of Law, graduating summa cum laude in 1971. He was a lawyer in private practice in Denver and Boise from 1972 through 1985. In 1985, Grant joined Micron Technology, a manufacturer of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), as the young company's first general counsel. It was a critical time for the U.S. semiconductor industry. That year, seven of the United States' leading semiconductor makers left the DRAM business as Japanese companies took over the market and prices drastically declined. In response, Grant initiated the first ever semiconductor antidumping case with the International Trade Commission. As a result, President Reagan imposed duties on Japanese semiconductor manufacturers who were selling their product in the United States below cost. The case laid the groundwork for the U.S.-Japan Semiconductor Trade Agreement of 1986 and is credited by some analysts as having been a significant factor in the survival and growth of Micron in its early years. Grant left Micron in 1996 to work as vice president and general counsel for VLSI Technology in San Jose, California. He retired in 1998 and now lives in Fruitland.