Edelman entered private practice for three years before joining the legal staff of
General Motors. He left the company ten years later, having worked his way up to the position of director of corporate finance, and became vice president of government finance at
Citicorp. Six months after joining Citicorp, he left to join
Paine Webber as first vice president of the company's government finance group. Edelman first came to Farmer Mac in July 1988 as a financial consultant for its interim board. The agency was created by the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987, and Edelman's initial endeavors were to help launch the agency and determine how it could best reach the investment markets. John Dahl, the first chairman of Farmer Mac and president of the Dahl Land and Cattle Company of Gackle, N.D., told
The New York Times that Edelman "helped the interim board devise strategy for last fall's very successful initial public offering of $22 million of Farmer Mac stock." Dahl added the initial public offering was bought by 1,600 financial institutions Edelman joined Farmer Mac on June 1, 1989, as president and CEO. When he was hired, he told an interviewer the job was a "real challenge" since no staff had been hired to work with him. On September 30, 2008 the Board of Directors removed him as President and CEO of Farmer Mac as part of a restructuring endeavor. Endelman joined the faculty of Cornell Law School. ==References==