1975 January 27

Edward Levi Promises to be Independent U.S. Attorney General

 

Edward H. Levi, president of the University of Chicago and former dean of the University of Chicago Law School, was appointed Attorney General by President Gerald Ford. Levi won wide acclaim for his stewardship of the Justice Department in the post-Watergate era. During his confirmation hearings on this day, he promised to be politically independent.

The shadow of the Watergate Scandal and President Richard Nixon’s misdeeds hung over the hearings, and Levi was the fifth Attorney General in Six years. Nixon’s first Attorney General, John Mitchell, was implicated in the Watergate scandal and eventually convicted and sentenced to prison for his activities (January 1, 1975).

Levi proved to be more independent than President Gerald Ford anticipated, as Levi publicly contradicted him on several occasions. Levi was also the first Jewish Attorney General of the United States.

In 2005, the Justice Department marked the 30th anniversary of Levi’s appointment as Attorney General by creating the Edward H. Levi Award for Outstanding Professionalism and Exemplary Integrity.

Learn About Edward H. Levi: http://president.uchicago.edu/directory/edward-h-levi

Watch a documentary, Restoring Justice, on the legacy of Edward Levi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdEnL1A5c4I

Read Edward Levi’s official Justice Department biography (with links to his speeches): http://www.justice.gov/ag/aghistpage.php?id=70

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