Edwin Meese III served as U.S. attorney general from 1985 to 1988. A close and trusted advisor to President ronald reagan, Meese sought to advance the president's conservative agenda. His tenure, however, was clouded by allegations of ethical violations that eventually led to his resignation.
Meese retired from the Army Reserve as a colonel in 1984. Meese returned to California, obtaining a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where he was a state Moot Court champion.
In that role, Meese became an important advisor on domestic policy. Meese and Reagan shared a common agenda on legal topics. They sought to make abortion illegal and to restrict criminal defendants' rights, and were also in agreement on the issues of affirmative action, and judicial activism.
Meese prosecuted felony cases while maintaining a private practice on nights and weekends, focusing on civil law. During this service, he first drew the attention of Republican State Senator Donald Grunsky, who would later recommend him to governor-elect Ronald Reagan.
Meese was born in Oakland, California, the eldest of four sons born to Leone (née Feldman) and Edwin Meese, Jr. He was raised in a practicing Lutheran family, of German descent. His father was an Oakland city government official, president of the Zion Lutheran Church, and served 24 years in the non-partisan office of Treasurer of Alameda County.
Meese joined Ronald Reagan 's staff in 1967. He served as legal affairs secretary from 1967 to 1968 and as executive assistant and chief of staff to Governor Reagan from 1969 to 1974.
From January 1975 to May 1976, Meese served as vice president for administration of Rohr Industries in Chula Vista, California. He left Rohr to enter private law practice in San Diego County, California.
Following the Iowa caucuses, Meese joined the 1980 Reagan presidential campaign full-time as chief of staff in charge of day-to-day campaign operations and senior issues adviser. After the 1980 election, Meese headed Reagan's transition effort.
In May 2006 Meese was named a member of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group by group co-chairmen James Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton, commissioned to assess and report on the contemporary status of the Iraq War. Meese co-authored the group's final December 2006 report.
Meese serves on the boards of several institutions. Meese has held the Ronald Reagan Chair in Public Policy at the Heritage Foundation since 1988, when he joined the think tank. It is the only policy chair in the United States officially named for the 40th president.
Edwin Meese has authored or co-authored a number of books on government, judiciary and civics, including:
Explaining why he had now decided to resign, Meese, who has always maintained his innocence, declared, “to allow myself to be hounded out of office by false accusations or allegations, unjust political attacks and media clamor would undermine the integrity of our system of justice which I have championed. . . . “
The most serious charge against Meese involved his role in a failed Iraqi oil pipeline deal that allegedly called for payoffs of as much as $700 million over 10 years to Israel and the Israeli Labor Party.
Porn, Feminism & the Meese Report first published in the Proletarian Revolution No. 27 (Winter 1987) by the League for the Revolutionary Party (New York City). Some Say Meese Report Rates an 'X' by Edwin McDowell (October 21, 1986) New York Times.
The Meese Report (named for Edwin Meese ), officially the Final Report of the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, is the result of a comprehensive investigation into pornography ordered by U.S. President Ronald Reagan. It was published in July 1986 and contains ...