attorney who was watergate prosecutor

by Nico Rempel 6 min read

Archibald Cox Jr.
(May 17, 1912 – May 29, 2004) was an American lawyer and law professor who served as U.S. Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy and as a special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal.

Who was the special prosecutor in the Watergate investigation?

Archibald Cox, center, is sworn in as special prosecutor in the Watergate investigation on May 25, 1973. Cox, a lawyer and law professor, was solicitor general of the United States during John F. Kennedy's administration.

Who testified at the Watergate hearings?

A witness indicates H.R. Haldeman, Nixon's chief of staff, on a diagram while testifying during the committee hearings. In June 1973, former White House counsel John Dean testified before the Senate committee about the White House's involvement in the Watergate break-in and cover-up.

Who was the principal in Watergate?

^ Meyer, Lawrence (November 10, 1988). "John N. Mitchell, Principal in Watergate, Dies at 75". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 30, 2008.

Who was involved in the Watergate scandal in 1973?

White House reporters watch Nixon on TV on April 30, 1973, as the President told the nation of White House involvement in the Watergate scandal. Four of Nixon's top officials resigned: White House counsel John Dean, Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman, assistant for domestic affairs John D. Ehrlichman and Attorney General Richard Kleindienst.

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Who was Leon Jaworski in Watergate?

Leonidas "Leon" Jaworski (September 19, 1905 – December 9, 1982) was an American attorney and law professor who served as the second special prosecutor during the Watergate Scandal.

Who was Richard Nixon's personal attorney?

Herbert Warren Kalmbach (October 19, 1921 – September 15, 2017) was an American attorney and banker. He served as the personal attorney to United States President Richard Nixon (1968–1973).

Who was Nixon's Watergate lawyer?

John Wesley Dean III (born October 14, 1938) is a former attorney who served as White House Counsel for United States President Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973. Dean is known for his role in the cover-up of the Watergate scandal and his subsequent testimony to Congress as a witness.

Who was Martha Mitchell Watergate?

Martha Elizabeth Beall Mitchell (September 2, 1918 – May 31, 1976) was the wife of John N. Mitchell, United States Attorney General under President Richard Nixon. Her frank public comments during the Watergate scandal were a great embarrassment to the Nixon Administration.

Who was the German prosecutor in World War 2?

World War II. During World War II, Jaworski prosecuted the Johannes Kunze murder trial, where five German prisoners of war were accused of beating a fellow prisoner to death for being a "traitor".

When did the Supreme Court rule that the Special Prosecutor had the right to sue the President?

On July 24, 1974 , the Supreme Court ruled that the Special Prosecutor did have the right to sue the President; and that the "generalized assertion of [executive] privilege must yield to the demonstrated, specific need for evidence in a pending criminal trial".

How many taped conversations did Nixon have?

Jaworski subsequently subpoenaed sixty-four taped conversations. Nixon appealed on two grounds: first, that the office of Special Prosecutor did not have the right to sue the office of President; and second, that the requested materials were privileged presidential conversations.

What was Jaworski's role in the Nuremberg trial?

After the war, Jaworski served as a war crimes prosecutor in Germany. He was involved in a case where eleven German civilians were accused of murdering six American airmen forced down over Germany in the Rüsselsheim massacre. However, he declined to participate in the Nuremberg Trials on the grounds that the prosecution there was based on laws that did not exist at the time of the culpable acts.

Who did Jaworski support?

He supported Richard Nixon and voted for him twice, contributed to George H.W. Bush in his campaign for the presidency in 1980, and after Bush conceded the nomination he became treasurer of "Democrats for Reagan " during the 1980 general election campaign. Having been convinced of his integrity, in 1980, Jaworski aided former Nixon staffer Egil ...

Who was the president of the Texas Bar Association?

Jaworski served as President of both the Texas Bar Association (1962–1963) and the American Bar Association (1971–1972) prior to his appointment as Special Prosecutor. He was also President of the Houston Chamber of Commerce in 1960 and served on many corporate and civic boards.

Who was the prisoner of war at Fort Lawton?

soldiers and Italian prisoners of war at Fort Lawton near Seattle resulted in the lynching of Italian prisoner of war Guglielmo Olivotto. Thereafter, Jaworski prosecuted forty-three African-American soldiers, of whom twenty-eight were convicted, in what was the longest U.S. Army court-martial of World War II. In 2005 the U.S. Army Board for Correction of Military Records ordered all those convictions reversed on the grounds that Jaworski had committed "egregious error".

How many former Watergate prosecutors are there?

Already swooping in were 16 former Watergate prosecutors, who told the court they want to weigh in on the DOJ's motion to drop charges against Flynn. This roster includes a number of Democratic donors and others who have been critical of President Trump before.

Who is Roger Witten?

Roger Witten - Witten is a senior counsel to Campaign Legal Center, an organization that uses litigation to influence election law with the goal of "fighting for every American’s rights to responsive government and a fair opportunity to participate in and affect the democratic process."

When was the Watergate Hotel discovered?

These items include two photographs of the Watergate complex, a page from the address book of burglar Bernard Barker discovered in a room at the Watergate hotel on June 18, 1972, and a photograph of Chapstick tubes with hidden microphones.

Is the Watergate Special Prosecution Force available online?

Many records of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force (WSPF) are open for research. Other documents may be requested under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended). The vast majority of the records of the WSPF are NOT available online. For access to these records, contact the Special Access and FOIA Program: ...

What is the ultimate judgment on whether to impeach the President?

arrow-right. The ultimate judgment on whether to impeach the president is for members of the House of Representatives to make. The Constitution establishes impeachment as the proper mechanism for addressing these abuses; therefore, the House should proceed with the impeachment process, fairly, openly and promptly.

What was the role of the Nixon administration in the 1970s?

In the 1970s, we investigated serious abuses of presidential power by President Richard M. Nixon, including obstruction of justice, concealment of government records and misuse of government agencies to punish his political enemies. We prosecuted many of Nixon’s aides for their complicity in Nixon’s offenses.

What was the Watergate scandal?

The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of U.S. President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continuous attempts to cover up its involvement in the June 17, 1972 break-in of the Democratic National ...

Who was the burglar in Watergate?

Address book of Watergate burglar Bernard Barker, discovered in a room at the Watergate Hotel, June 18, 1972. Within hours of the burglars' arrests, the FBI discovered E. Howard Hunt 's name in Barker and Martínez's address books.

What happened to the five burglars at Watergate?

Rather than ending with the conviction and sentencing to prison of the five Watergate burglars on January 30, 1973, the investigation into the break-in and the Nixon Administration's involvement grew broader. "Nixon's conversations in late March and all of April 1973 revealed that not only did he know he needed to remove Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Dean to gain distance from them, but he had to do so in a way that was least likely to incriminate him and his presidency. Nixon created a new conspiracy—to effect a cover-up of the cover-up—which began in late March 1973 and became fully formed in May and June 1973, operating until his presidency ended on August 9, 1974." On March 23, 1973, Judge Sirica read the court a letter from Watergate burglar James McCord, who alleged that perjury had been committed in the Watergate trial, and defendants had been pressured to remain silent. In an attempt to make them talk, Sirica gave Hunt and two burglars provisional sentences of up to 40 years.

What channel was the Watergate hearings broadcast on?

The resulting Senate Watergate hearings were broadcast "gavel-to-gavel" nationwide by PBS and aroused public interest. Witnesses testified that the president had approved plans to cover up administration involvement in the break-in, and that there was a voice-activated taping system in the Oval Office.

What network was the Watergate hearings on?

On February 7, 1973, the United States Senate voted 77-to-0 to approve 93 S.Res. 60 and establish a select committee to investigate Watergate, with Sam Ervin named chairman the next day. The hearings held by the Senate committee, in which Dean and other former administration officials testified, were broadcast from May 17 to August 7. The three major networks of the time agreed to take turns covering the hearings live, each network thus maintaining coverage of the hearings every third day, starting with ABC on May 17 and ending with NBC on August 7. An estimated 85% of Americans with television sets tuned into at least one portion of the hearings.

Where are the Watergate files?

Watergate Trial Conversations – Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. The Watergate Files, at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, National Archives. Official and unofficial documents on the Watergate scandal from the Presidential collection of President Nixon's successor, Vice President Gerald R. Ford.

When was the White House audio tape released?

On August 5, 1974 , the White House released a previously unknown audio tape from June 23, 1972. Recorded only a few days after the break-in, it documented the initial stages of the cover-up: it revealed Nixon and Haldeman had a meeting in the Oval Office during which they discussed how to stop the FBI from continuing its investigation of the break-in, as they recognized that there was a high risk that their position in the scandal may be revealed.

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Overview

Leonidas "Leon" Jaworski (September 19, 1905 – December 9, 1982) was an American attorney and law professor who served as the second special prosecutor during the Watergate Scandal. He was appointed to that position on November 1, 1973, soon after the Saturday Night Massacre of October 19–20, 1973, which included the dismissal of his predecessor Archibald Cox.

Background

Jaworski was born in Waco in central Texas. His mother, Marie (Mira), was an Austrian immigrant, and his father, Joseph Jaworski, was a Polish immigrant who was an evangelical minister. He was named after ancient Spartan king Leonidas, and had a brother named Hannibal. An earnest student who studied at night by the light of oil lamps, he was a champion debater at Waco High School, graduated from Baylor Law School and received his master's degree in law at the George …

Legal career

In 1925, he became the youngest person ever admitted to the Texas bar. After starting out defending bootleggers during Prohibition, in 1931, he joined the Houston law firm that became Fulbright & Jaworski, one of the largest law firms in the United States. Jaworski served as President of both the Texas Bar Association (1962–1963) and the American Bar Association (1971–1972) prior to his appointment as Special Prosecutor. He was also President of the Hous…

World War II

During World War II, Jaworski prosecuted the Johannes Kunze murder trial, where five German prisoners of war were accused of beating a fellow prisoner to death for being a "traitor".
On the night of August 14, 1944, the Fort Lawton Riot between African-American U.S. soldiers and Italian prisoners of war at Fort Lawton near Seattle resulted in the lynching of Italian prisoner of war Guglielmo Olivotto. Thereafter, Jaworski prosecuted forty-three African-American soldiers, of wh…

Political connections

He was a friend of fellow Texan Lyndon Baines Johnson, whom he successfully represented in a 1960 lawsuit filed to prevent Johnson from campaigning for the U.S. Senate against Republican John Tower at the same time that Johnson was running for Vice President of the United States on the John F. Kennedy ticket. However, Jaworski did not always support Democratic candidates. He supported Richard Nixon and voted for him twice, contributed to George H.W. Bush in his campaig…

Watergate

Jaworski's greatest fame came from his tenure as Watergate Special Prosecutor, when he assumed leadership of a protracted contest with President Nixon to secure evidence for the trial of former senior administration officials on charges relating to the Watergate cover-up.
Jaworski's predecessor as Special Prosecutor, Archibald Cox, initially believed that only Nixon's aides had committed misconduct. Because of testimony from Nixon's deputy assistant Alexande…

Later years

Jaworski resigned as special prosecutor on October 25, 1974, once the cover-up trial had begun, and a new special prosecutor was appointed. Jaworski was a close friend of Dean Ernest Raba of St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, where he taught as an adjunct professor for several years.
In 1977, Jaworski reluctantly agreed to serve as special counsel to a House Ethics Committee inv…

Awards and honors

In 1971, Jaworski received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.
In 1988, the HBAA Leon Jaworski Award was initiated to honor a lawyer for a lifetime of volunteer service. State and national bar associations reward professional achievement; the granting of the Jaworski Award is based solely on service to the greater Houston community. The award is named for Leon Jaworski whose life and achievements reflected a deep commitment to public s…