Ruckelshaus, William Doyle, 1932-2019

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William Doyle Ruckelshaus was born July 24, 1932, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was Deputy Attorney General of Indiana from 1960 through 1965, and a member of the Indiana House of Representatives and its majority leader from 1967 to 1969.

In 1969, President Richard M. Nixon appointed him Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Division for the Department of Justice. He became the Environmental Protection Agency's first Administrator when the agency was formed in December 1970, and served until April 1973. In April 1973 he was appointed acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and in the same year was appointed Deputy Attorney General of the Department of Justice. In a 1973 event known as the "Saturday Night Massacre", Ruckelshaus and Attorney General Elliot Richardson, famously resigned their positions at the Department of Justice rather than obey an order from President Richard M. Nixon to fire the Watergate special prosecutor, Archibald Cox, who was investigating official misconduct on the part of the president and his aides. After leaving the Justice Department, he returned to the private sector and the practice of law, serving for a time as the Senior Vice-President of Legal Affairs of Weyerhaeuser.

In 1983, with the Environmental Protection Agency in crisis due to mass resignations over the mishandling of the Superfund project, President Ronald Reagan appointed him to serve as administrator, a position he held until January 1985. From 1983 to 1986, he served on the United Nations' World Commission on Environment and Development. In 1985, he joined Perkins Coie, a Seattle, Washington, based law firm.

From July 1997 to July 1998, President William J. Clinton he served as the U.S. envoy in the implementing of the Pacific Salmon Treaty and in 1999 he was appointed by Washington Governor Gary Locke as Chairman of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board for the State of Washington. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, mandated by the Oceans Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-256).

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Harvard Law School Forums Records Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Elliot L. Richardson papers, 1780-1999 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Sheldon Glueck papers Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn David Bicknell Truman Records RG 4. 17., 1906-1978, 1969-1978 Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections
referencedIn Briefing Documents, ca. 1970 - ca. 1973 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn General Records of the Department of Justice. Photographs of Agency Personnel. 1953-1993. National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Records of the Environmental Protection Agency, 1944 - 2006. Controlled Correspondence of the Deputy Director, 1986 - 1/1993 National Archives Library, National Archives Records Administration
creatorOf Ruckelshaus, William Doyle, 1932-. William Doyle Ruckelshaus : commercials , 1968. University of Oklahoma, Political Community Archives
referencedIn Records Relating to Scheduling for the Attorney General, 8/1988 - 8/1991 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Sound Recordings of Meetings and Telephone Conversations (Nixon Administration). 2/16/1971 - 7/18/1973. Sound Recordings of Meetings and Telephone Conversations. 2/16/1971 - 7/18/1973. Oval Office tape number 503 Richard Nixon Library
referencedIn General Records of the Department of Justice. 1790 - 2002. Photographs of Agency Officials and Activities National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Bush, George, 1924-. Audio cassette tape, October 14, 1988 [sound recording]. University of California, San Diego, UC San Diego Library; UCSD Library
creatorOf Sound Recordings of Meetings and Telephone Conversations (Nixon Administration). 2/16/1971 - 7/18/1973. Sound Recordings of Meetings and Telephone Conversations. 2/16/1971 - 7/18/1973. Oval Office tape number 906 Richard Nixon Library
referencedIn Records of the Environmental Protection Agency. 1944 - 2006. Photographs of Agency Personnel National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Video Recordings Relating to Environmental Issues, 1970 - 2010 National Archives at College Park
creatorOf William D. Ruckelshaus Personal Papers, 1970 - 1973 Richard Nixon Library
referencedIn Controlled and Major Correspondence, 1/1980 - 12/1989 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Meeting Files of Administrators William Ruckelshaus and Lee M. Thomas, 1984 - 1988 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Jefferson, Edward Graham, 1921-2006. Edward Graham Jefferson papers, 1962-1992 (bulk, 1979-1987) Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Film/Video Productions, ca. 1974 - ca. 1990 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Biographies of Officials, 1940 - 1975 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Elliot L. Richardson papers, 1780-1999 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Phillips, Randolph Godfrey, 1911-1982. Papers, 1956-1982. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
referencedIn Sound Recordings of Meetings and Telephone Conversations (Nixon Administration). 2/16/1971 - 7/18/1973. Sound Recordings of Meetings and Telephone Conversations. 2/16/1971 - 7/18/1973. White House telephone tape number 46 Richard Nixon Library
referencedIn Records of the White House Television Office (WHTV) (Reagan Administration). 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989. Video Recordings Ronald Reagan Library
referencedIn Intra-Agency Memoranda of Administrator William Ruckelshaus and Deputy Administrator Robert Fri, 1/1972 - 12/1972 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Russell E. Train Papers, 1898-2005, (bulk 1957-2005) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Video Recordings of Agency Activities, 1/1/1993 - 12/31/2013 National Archives at College Park
Relation Name
associatedWith Bush, George, 1924- person
associatedWith DOCUMERICA corporateBody
associatedWith Glueck, Sheldon, 1896- person
correspondedWith Harvard Law School Forum corporateBody
associatedWith Jefferson, Edward G. (Edward Graham), 1921- person
associatedWith Mount Holyoke College. Office of the President corporateBody
associatedWith Phillips, Randolph Godfrey, 1911-1982. person
associatedWith Richardson, Elliot L., 1920-1999. person
correspondedWith Train, Russell E., 1920- person
associatedWith University of Oklahoma. Political Commercial Archive. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Medina WA US
Indianapolis IN US
Subject
Advertising, political
Television advertising
Occupation
Lawyers
Politicans
Activity

Person

Birth 1932-07-24

Death 2019-11-27

English

Information

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