March 26 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush is appointing William Kovacic, an antitrust scholar and a U.S. Federal Trade Commission member, to succeed Deborah P. Majoras as the agency's chairman.

The White House announced the appointment today as Majoras prepared to leave to become general counsel of Procter & Gamble Co. Kovacic, 55, who worked as an FTC lawyer early in his career, was the agency's general counsel during Bush's first term in office, then left to teach antitrust law at George Washington University before becoming a commissioner in 2006.

Bush doesn't need Senate approval to install Kovacic as FTC chairman. The president designates the head of the commission from among its five members. Appointment to the commission requires Senate confirmation.

Majoras, 44, announced her resignation Feb. 28. She will begin her new job in late June at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, the largest U.S. consumer products maker.

Her departure creates a vacancy on the commission, and Bush may have trouble filling it because of a long-simmering dispute with Senate Democrats. They have held up confirmation of dozens of nominees to various federal agencies such as the Federal Election Commission.

The other Republican FTC member, Thomas Rosch, has frequently voted with Democrat Jon Leibowitz and independent Pamela Jones Harbour. That may make it harder for Kovacic, an ally of Majoras, to command a three-vote majority.

Kovacic was a staff lawyer in the FTC's antitrust enforcement bureau from 1979 to 1983. He has taught antitrust law at George Mason University as well as George Washington. He has traveled extensively as an academic and an FTC official to promote the adoption of laws by other countries protecting competition.

Bush's first FTC chairman, Timothy Muris, who also taught at George Mason, recruited Kovacic to join the FTC as general counsel.

To contact the reporter on this story: James Rowley in Washington at jarowley@bloomberg.net; Roger Runningen in Washington, at rrunningen@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: March 26, 2008 15:19 EDT