Elliot Richardson

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Elliot Lee Richardson (July 20, 1920 – December 31, 1999) was an American lawyer and politician who was a member of the cabinet of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He was a prominent figure in the Watergate Scandal, having refused an order from Nixon to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox.

As of 2006, Richardson is the only individual to serve in four Cabinet-level positions within the United States Government: Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1970 to 1973, Secretary of Defense from January to May of 1973, Attorney General from May 24 to October 1973, and Secretary of Commerce from 1976 to 1977.

Contents

1 Early life and military service
2 Cabinet career
3 Later life and death
4 Notes
5 References

Early life and military service

Richardson was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, and graduated cum laude in 1941.

In 1942, following the outbreak of World War II, Richardson entered the combat medical corps in the U.S. 4th Infantry Division. He participated in the June 6, 1944 Normandy Invasion and received numerous decorations, including the Purple Heart medal. He was discharged in 1945 with the rank of first lieutenant, and, in 1947, he graduated with a law degree from Harvard Law School. He also became editor and president of the Harvard Law Review.

Richardson served as U.S. attorney for Massachusetts from 1959 to 1961. His next position was Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, a position he served in for two years. He later clerked for Appeals Court Judge Learned Hand, and then for Justice Felix Frankfurter of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cabinet career

Richardson came into office as United States Secretary of Defense on January 30, 1973. When President Nixon selected Richardson as Secretary, the press described him as an excellent manager and administrator, perhaps the best in the cabinet. In his confirmation hearing, Richardson expressed agreement with Nixon's policies on such issues as the adequacy of U.S. strategic forces, NATO and relationships with other allies, and Vietnam.

Although he promised to examine the budget carefully to identify areas for savings, and in fact later ordered the closing of some military installations, he cautioned against precipitate cuts. As he told a Senate committee, "Significant cuts in the Defense Budget now would seriously weaken the U.S. position on international negotiations—in which U.S. military capabilities, in both real and symbolic terms, are an important factor." Similarly, he strongly supported continued military assistance at current levels. During his short tenure, Richardson spent much time testifying before congressional committees on the proposed FY 1974 budget and other Defense matters. http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/secdef_histories/bios/richardson.htm - Secretary of Defense biography

In October, 1973, Nixon ordered Richardson to fire the Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox; Richardson refused this order and resigned. At that point, William Ruckelshaus, the Deputy Attorney General was asked to carry out the order, and he refused and resigned as well. The third in command, Solicitor General Robert Bork, carried out this order. The events are generally referred to as the Saturday Night Massacre.

Just prior to the resignation of Vice-President Spiro Agnew, Richardson was portrayed as a cartoon figure with Agnew and Nixon on the cover of TIME magazine dated October 8, 1973. Agnew was quoted as saying: "I am innocent of the charges against me. I will not resign if indicted!"

During the Administration of President Gerald Ford, Richardson served as Secretary of Commerce from 1976 to 1977, and as ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Later life and death

In 1980 Richardson received a L.H.D. from Bates College. In 1984, he ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Paul Tsongas. He was defeated in the GOP primary by Ray Shamie, who lost the general election to John F. Kerry.

In 1994 Richardson backed President Clinton during his struggle against Paula Jones' charge of sexual harassment. In 1998, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

On December 31, 1999, Richardson died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 79. Some media outlets, such as CNN, recognized him as the "Watergate martyr" for refusing an order from President Nixon to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox. http://www.cnn.com/interactive/specials/9912/yearinreview.passages/content/politics/richardson.html - CNN obituary

Notes

References

[SSA biography]
[DoD biography]

United States Secretaries of Commerce

United States Secretary of Commerce and Labor>Secretaries of Commerce & Labor (1903–1913): Cortelyou | Metcalf | Straus | Nagel

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