Stephen A. Oxman was educated at Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 1967. He then earned a Juris Doctor at Yale University, before becoming a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy
In 1973, Oxman joined the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore as an associate attorney. He left Cravath in 1977 when he became Executive Assistant to United States Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher. He later became a consultant to United States Secretary of State Cyrus Vance during the Iran hostage crisis.
Following the end of the Carter administration, in 1980, Oxman joined Shearman & Sterling as a litigation partner.
In 1988, he moved to the newly founded investment bank of Wasserstein Perella & Company
In 1981, he was selected to be one the first Young Leaders of the French-American Foundation. In 1993, President of the United States Bill Clinton nominated Oxman as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, and he held this office from April 2, 1993 until August 15, 1994.
Bankers Trust acquired Wolfensohn & Company in 1996, and Oxman became Senior Managing Director of British Telecom Wolfensohn. He left Wolfensohn & Company for Morgan Stanley in 1999.
Oxman currently serves as a trustee of Princeton University.
