John N. Mitchell
John Newton Mitchell (September 15, 1913 – November 9, 1988) was the 67th Attorney General of the United States, serving under President Richard Nixon and was chairman of Nixon's 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns. Prior to that, he had been a municipal bond lawyer and one of Nixon's associates.[1] He was tried and convicted as a result of his involvement in the Watergate scandal.
For other people named John Mitchell, see John Mitchell (disambiguation).
John Mitchell
September 15, 1913
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
November 9, 1988 (aged 75)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Convicted of crimes committed during his tenure as U.S. Attorney General
1943–1946
After his tenure as U.S. Attorney General, he served as chairman of Nixon's 1972 presidential campaign. Due to multiple crimes he committed in the Watergate affair, Mitchell was sentenced to prison in 1977 and served 19 months. As Attorney General, he was noted for personifying the "law-and-order" positions of the Nixon administration, amid several high-profile anti-Vietnam War demonstrations; this generated irony when he became one of very few Cabinet members ever convicted of a crime.
Early life[edit]
Mitchell was born in Detroit to Margaret (McMahon) and Joseph C. Mitchell. He grew up in the New York City borough of Queens.[2][3] He attended Fordham University from 1932 to 1934, and earned his law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1938.[4] Mitchell carried out postgraduate study at St. John's University Law School in 1938 and 1939[5][6]
During World War II, Mitchell served for three years in the United States Navy and attained the rank of lieutenant (junior grade) as a PT boat commander. Stories Mitchell told about his naval service were later debunked, including having received the Silver Star and Purple Heart, served as John F. Kennedy's commanding officer, and saved the life of Pappy Boyington.[7][8] Except for his period of military service, Mitchell practiced law in New York City from 1938 until 1969 with the firm of Rose, Guthrie, Alexander and Mitchell and earned a reputation as a successful municipal bond lawyer. Richard Nixon was a partner in the firm from 1963 to 1968.
Mitchell's second wife, Martha Mitchell, became a controversial figure, gaining notoriety for her late-night phone calls to reporters in which she accused Nixon of participating in the Watergate cover-up and alleged that he and several of his aides were trying to make her husband the scapegoat for the whole affair.
New York government[edit]
Mitchell devised a type of revenue bond called a "moral obligation bond" while serving as bond counsel to New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller in the 1960s. In an effort to get around the voter approval process for increasing state and municipal borrower limits, Mitchell attached language to the offerings that was able to communicate the state's intent to meet the bond payments while not placing it under a legal obligation to do so.[9] Mitchell did not dispute when asked in an interview if the intent of such language was to create a "form of political elitism that bypasses the voter's right to a referendum or an initiative."[10]
Death[edit]
Around 5:00 pm on November 9, 1988, Mitchell collapsed from a heart attack on the sidewalk in front of 2812 N Street NW in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C., and died that evening at George Washington University Hospital.[47] He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. He was eligible for the honor because of his World War II Naval service and having held the cabinet post of Attorney General.