Federal Trade Commission
Official seal
Agency overview
Formed	September 26, 1914
Preceding Agency	Bureau of Corporations
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Employees	1,131 (December 2011)
Agency executive	Edith Ramirez, Chairman
Website
www.ftc.gov

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act. Its principal mission is the promotion of consumer protection and the elimination and prevention of anti-competitive business practices, such as coercive monopoly.

The Federal Trade Commission Act was one of President Woodrow Wilson's major acts against trusts. Trusts and trust-busting were significant political concerns during the Progressive Era. Since its inception, the FTC has enforced the provisions of the Clayton Act, a key antitrust statute, as well as the provisions of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 41 et seq.

Over time, the FTC has been delegated the enforcement of additional business regulation statutes and has promulgated a number of regulations (codified in Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations).
 

 
Apex Building, built in 1938 (FTC headquarters) in Washington, D.C.

The first version of a bill to establish a commission to regulate trade was introduced on January 25, 1912, by Oklahoma congressman Dick Thompson Morgan, once known as the "father of the Federal Trade Commission."

Morgan also made the first speech on the House floor advocating its creation on February 21, 1912. Though the initial bill did not pass, the Republican party platform of June 1912 endorsed the establishment of the Federal Trade Commission. Morgan reintroduced a slightly amended version of his bill during the April 1913 special session.

The Federal Trade Commission is headed by five commissioners who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate. Under the FTC Act, no more than three commissioners may be from the same political party. A commissioner's term of office is seven years, and the terms are staggered so that in a given year no more than one commissioner's term expires (although in certain years no commissioner's term expires and in years where commissioners choose to step down, more than one new commissioner may be appointed).