who was attorney general during lyndon johnson administration

by Prof. Colton Stoltenberg Sr. 9 min read

Ramsey Clark
Clark in 1968
66th United States Attorney General
In office November 28, 1966 – January 20, 1969 Acting: November 28, 1966 – March 10, 1967
PresidentLyndon B. Johnson
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Who was the Attorney General during the Civil Rights Movement?

Apr 11, 2021 · Ramsey Clark, the attorney general in the Johnson administration who became an outspoken activist for unpopular causes and a harsh critic of U.S. policy, has died. He was 93.

Who was the Attorney General who represented Saddam Hussein?

Feb 03, 2015 · Bobby Kennedy was attorney general as Lyndon Johnson finished serving as president after John F. Kennedy's assassination; however, …

How was Lyndon Johnson sworn in as president?

Attorney General: Robert F. Kennedy (1963–1965) Attorney General: Nicholas Katzenbach (1965–1967) Attorney General: Ramsey Clark (1967–1969) Postmaster General: John A. Gronouski (1963–1965) Postmaster General: Lawrence F. O'Brien (1965–1968) Postmaster General: W. Marvin Watson (1968–1969) Secretary of the Treasury: C. Douglas Dillon …

When did John Katzenbach become Attorney General?

Apr 11, 2021 · Ramsey Clark, US attorney general under Lyndon Johnson, dead at 93 April 11, 2021 POLITICS 6 mins read [ad_1] NEW YORK — Ramsey Clark, the attorney general in the Johnson administration who became an outspoken activist for unpopular causes and a harsh critic of U.S. policy, has died. He was 93.

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Is Ramsey Clark still alive?

April 9, 2021Ramsey Clark / Date of death

How old is Ramsey Clark?

93 years (1927–2021)Ramsey Clark / Age at death

Who was the youngest attorney general?

In 1814 Madison offered Rush the choice of Secretary of the Treasury or Attorney General of the United States, of which positions Rush chose the latter. With his appointment as Attorney General, Rush became the youngest person to serve in that office.

Does the President have an attorney general?

The attorney general is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States. Under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution, the officeholder is nominated by the president of the United States, then appointed with the advice and consent of the United States Senate.

Who was the attorney general of the United States in 1962 63?

President Kennedy's appointment of his 35-year-old brother Robert Francis Kennedy as the attorney general of the United States was controversial.

Who was the attorney general in the 1960s?

Ramsey ClarkClark in 196866th United States Attorney GeneralIn office November 28, 1966 – January 20, 1969 Acting: November 28, 1966 – March 10, 1967PresidentLyndon B. Johnson28 more rows

Who was George Washington's attorney general?

Randolph had handled much of President Washington's personal legal work, and Washington appointed him as the first Attorney General of the United States in 1789 and then as Secretary of State in 1794.

Who was the first Attorney General of the United States?

Edmund Jennings RandolphOn September 26, 1789, Edmund Jennings Randolph was appointed the first Attorney General of the United States by President George Washington.

Who was attorney general in the 1980s?

List of U.S. attorneys generalAttorney GeneralYears of serviceMerrick Garland2021-PresentEdwin Meese, III1985-1988William French Smith1981-1985Benjamin Richard Civiletti1979-198182 more rows

Can the attorney general be fired by the president?

The President of the United States has the authority to appoint U.S. Attorneys, with the consent of the United States Senate, and the President may remove U.S. Attorneys from office. In the event of a vacancy, the United States Attorney General is authorized to appoint an interim U.S. Attorney.

Does the attorney general have to be an MP?

In 1673 the attorney general began to take up a seat in the House of Commons, and since then it has been convention to ensure that all attorneys general are members of the House of Commons or House of Lords, although there is no requirement that they be so.

What was the job of Clark in the Kennedy administration?

In the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, Clark occupied senior positions in the Justice Department; he was Assistant Attorney General, overseeing the department's Lands Division from 1961 to 1965, and then served as Deputy Attorney General from 1965 to 1967.

Where did Clark teach law school?

Following his term as attorney general, Clark taught courses at the Howard University School of Law (1969–1972) and Brooklyn Law School (1973–1981). He was active in the anti-Vietnam War movement and visited North Vietnam in 1972 as a protest against the bombing of Hanoi.

What award did Clark receive?

Clark was a recipient of the 1992 Gandhi Peace Award, and also the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award for his commitment to civil rights, his opposition to war and military spending and his dedication to providing legal representation to the peace movement, particularly, his efforts to free Leonard Peltier.

What was Clark known for?

As attorney general, he was known for his vigorous opposition to the death penalty, his aggressive support of civil liberties and civil rights, and his dedication in enforcing antitrust provisions. Clark supervised the drafting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Civil Rights Act of 1968.

Who was the president who advised the Warren Commission?

Katzenbach has been credited with providing advice after the assassination of John F. Kennedy that led to the creation of the Warren Commission. On November 25, 1963, he sent a memo to Johnson's White House aide Bill Moyers recommending the creation of a Presidential Commission to investigate the assassination.

Where was the B-25 shot down?

His B-25 Mitchell Bomber was shot down February 23, 1943, over the Mediterranean Sea off North Africa. He spent over two years as a prisoner of war in Italian and German POW camps, including Stalag Luft III, the site of the "Great Escape", which Katzenbach assisted in.

Where does John Katzenbach live?

Katzenbach and his wife Lydia retired to Princeton, New Jersey, with a summer home on Martha's Vineyard in West Tisbury, Massachusetts. His son is writer John Katzenbach. His daughter, Maria, is also a published novelist.

Where was Katzenbach born?

Early life. Katzenbach was born in Philadelphia and raised in Trenton. His parents were Edward L. Katzenbach, who served as Attorney General of New Jersey, and Marie Hilson Katzenbach, who was the first female president of the New Jersey State Board of Education. His uncle, Frank S. Katzenbach, served as Mayor of Trenton, ...

What was the role of Lyndon Johnson?

Johnson had served as Vice President in the Kennedy administration and assumed the presidency upon Kennedy’s death on November 22nd, 1963. Johnson was reelected in a landslide in 1964; however, he did not seek reelection in 1968 on account of his declining popularity. Johnson was renowned for his domineering personality and, relatedly, his great skill in persuading congressmen and other politicians to support him. He accomplished an ambitious domestic agenda, enacting the “Great Society” and “War on Poverty,” which were a collection of programs related to civil rights, economic opportunity, education, healthcare, environmental protection, and public broadcasting. Historians argue that the Great Society and War on Poverty mark the peak of liberal policy in the United States, and the culmination of the New Deal era. Johnson is rated highly by many historians because of his success in enacting domestic policies.

What did Johnson do during his presidency?

Johnson brought to his presidency a vision of a Great Society in which everyone could share in the opportunities for a better life that the United States offered , and in which the words “liberty and justice for all” would have real meaning. One of the chief pieces of legislation that Congress passed in 1965 was the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, increasing federal funding to both elementary and secondary schools. The Higher Education Act, signed into law the same year, provided scholarships and low-interest loans for the poor, increased federal funding for colleges and universities, and created a corps of teachers to serve schools in impoverished areas. Johnson’s administration passed other acts to improve transportation, protect the environment, and improve safety standards in food and motor vehicles, to name a few. His war on poverty dominated his presidency and included such acts as the 1964 Economic Opportunities Act, the 1965 Housing and Development Act, and the 1965 Social Security Act.

Why did the people oppose the Immigration and Nationality Act?

The majority of the American people were opposed to the Immigration and Nationality Act, largely due to xenophobia and fears of how immigrants from these nations could influence the dominant white culture of the United States. To convince people of the legislation’s merits, the act’s proponents asserted that the act would not significantly influence American culture. President Johnson minimized the act’s significance, calling it “not revolutionary.” Secretary of State Dean Rusk estimated that only a few thousand Indian immigrants would enter the country over the next five years, and other politicians, including Edward Kennedy, hastened to reassure the public that the demographic mix would not be affected. In fact, these assertions would prove highly inaccurate.

How many American military advisors were in Vietnam?

At the time Johnson took office in 1963, there were 16,000 American military advisors in South Vietnam, in the midst of the deteriorating political and military situation that existed in the region. The South Vietnamese war effort was hindered by widespread corruption in the government of Ngo Dinh Diem, the first president of South Vietnam (in power since 1955). The South Vietnamese Army, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), was unable to stop the advances of the Northern Viet Cong army. In 1961, the newly elected Kennedy administration promised more aid to the war effort (including money, weapons, supplies), but these were of little effect. Doubt arose among Washington D.D. policy-makers that Diem was capable of defeating the opposing Chinese Communist regime in the North; some feared Diem might negotiate with Ho Chi Minh, the president of North Vietnam. Discussions about South Vietnamese regime change began in Washington and were concluded on November 2, 1963, when the CIA aided a group of ARVN officers in the overthrow of Diem. To help contain the post-coup chaos, Kennedy increased the number of U.S. advisors in South Vietnam to 16,000.

Who was the 36th president of the United States?

Lydnon B. Johnson, taking the oath of office aboard Air Force One: Johnson became the 36th President of the United States on November 22nd, 1963, following the assassination President Kennedy. Johnson would go on to win the election in 1964, accomplishing much of his ambitious domestic agenda.

How many US troops were in Vietnam in 1964?

Under President Johnson, the number of American troops in Vietnam rose from 16,000 in 1964, to more than 553,000 by 1969. The U.S. also financed and supplied the forces of all the American allies in the Vietnam War, including Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea (second only to the Americans in troop strength). The period after 1964 is thus referred to as the Americanization of the war, with the United States taking on the primary responsibilities of fighting the North Vietnamese.

Who was the leader of the New Left in the 1960s?

In February of 1965, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson dramatically escalated the war in Vietnam with a sustained bombing campaign and the introduction of ground troops. Activists and intellectuals seeking a broad range of reforms in the 1960s came to be referred to as the New Left.

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Overview

William Ramsey Clark (December 18, 1927 – April 9, 2021) was an American lawyer, activist and federal government official. A progressive, New Frontier liberal, he occupied senior positions in the United States Department of Justice under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, notably serving as United States Attorney General from 1967 to 1969; previously he was Deputy At…

Early life and career

Clark was born in Dallas, Texas, on December 18, 1927, the son of jurist Tom C. Clark and his wife Mary Jane (née Ramsey). Clark's father served as United States Attorney General from 1945 to 1949 under President Harry S. Truman and then became a Supreme Court Justice in August 1949. His maternal grandfather was William Franklin Ramsey, who served on the Supreme Court of Texas, while his paternal grandfather, lawyer William Henry Clark, was president of the Texas B…

Kennedy and Johnson administrations

In the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, Clark occupied senior positions in the Justice Department; he was Assistant Attorney General, overseeing the department's Lands Division from 1961 to 1965, and then served as Deputy Attorney General from 1965 to 1967.
In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated him to be Attorney General of …

Private career

Following his term as attorney general, Clark taught courses at the Howard University School of Law (1969–1972) and Brooklyn Law School (1973–1981). He was active in the anti-Vietnam War movement and visited North Vietnam in 1972 as a protest against the bombing of Hanoi. During this time he was associated with the New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, but he resigned in 1973, saying, "I didn't feel like working on things I didn't believe in, I didn't thin…

International activism

In September 1998, Clark led a delegation to Sudan to collect evidence in the aftermath of President Bill Clinton's bombing of the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum the previous month as part of Operation Infinite Reach. Upon returning to the U.S., the delegation held a press conference on September 22, 1998, to refute the U.S. State Department's claims that the facility had been pr…

Advocating the impeachment of George W. Bush

In 2002, Clark founded "VoteToImpeach", an organization advocating the impeachment of George W. Bush and several members of his administration. For the duration of Bush's terms in office, Clark sought, unsuccessfully, for the House of Representatives to bring articles of impeachment against Bush. He was the founder of the International Action Center, which holds significant overlapping membership with the Workers' World Party. Clark and the IAC helped found the prote…

Notable clients

As a lawyer, Clark also provided legal counsel and advice to prominent figures, including many controversial individuals.
Regarding his role as a defense lawyer in the trial of Saddam Hussein, Clark said: "A fair trialin this case is absolutely imperative for historical truth." Clark stated that by the time he decided to join Hussein's defense team, it was clear that "proceedings before the Iraqi Special Tribunal would c…

In popular culture

In Aaron Sorkin's 2020 film The Trial of the Chicago 7, Clark was portrayed by Michael Keaton.