William Ruckelshaus

William Doyle Ruckelshaus (July 24, 1932 – November 27, 2019) was an American attorney and government official.^[1] He worked during the Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan presidencies. He was known for resigning under the Nixon administration after he refused to carry out Nixon's orders to fire key investigators of the Watergate Scandal.

Ruckelshaus was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He studied at Harvard University and at Princeton University.

He served as the first head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970, was subsequently acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and then Deputy Attorney General of the United States. Ruckelshaus was a finalist to be Gerald Ford`s running mate in the 1976 presidential election.^[2] During 1983 through 1985 he returned as EPA Administrator.

In 1968, he ran for the United States Senate in Indiana, but narrowly lost the election to Birch Bayh with 51.7% to 48.2%.

In November 2015, Ruckelshaus was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama during a ceremony at the White House.^[3][4]

Ruckelshaus died at his home in Medina, Washington on November 27, 2019 at the age of 87.^[5]

1. ↑ "William D. Ruckelshaus: Oral History Interview", January 1993. Section, "Biography". Environmental Protection Agency. archive.epa.gov. Retrieved 2017-03-19. See also: "Biography". Archived from the original on September 9, 2009.
2. ↑ https://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Connelly-Bill-Ruckelshaus-quit-on-principle-14886007.php
3. ↑ "President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom". The White House. November 16, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
4. ↑ Phil Helsel – "Obama honoring Spielberg, Streisand and more with medal of freedom," NBC News, November 24, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-25
5. ↑ "William Ruckelshaus, Who Quit in 'Saturday Night Massacre,' Dies at 87". The New York Times. November 27, 2019.