Special Prosecutor for the United States Department of Justice
In office May 18, 1973 – October 20, 1973[1]
Appointed by
Elliot Richardson
Deputy
Henry Ruth Jr.
Preceded by
Newbold Morris (1953)
Succeeded by
Leon Jaworski
31st Solicitor General of the United States
In office January 24, 1961 – July 31, 1965
President
John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by
J. Lee Rankin
Succeeded by
Thurgood Marshall
Personal details
Born
(1912-05-17)May 17, 1912 Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Died
May 29, 2004(2004-05-29) (aged 92) Brooksville, Maine, U.S.
Political party
Democratic
Spouse
Phyllis Ames
(m. 1937)
Children
3
Education
Harvard University (AB, LLB)
Archibald Cox Jr. (May 17, 1912 – May 29, 2004) was an American legal scholar who served as U.S. Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy and as a special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal. During his career, he was a pioneering expert on labor law and was also an authority on constitutional law. The Journal of Legal Studies has identified Cox as one of the most cited legal scholars of the 20th century.[2]
Cox was Senator John F. Kennedy's labor advisor and in 1961, President Kennedy appointed him solicitor general, an office he held for four and a half years. Cox became famous when, under mounting pressure and charges of corruption against persons closely associated with Richard Nixon, Attorney General nominee Elliot Richardson appointed him as Special Prosecutor to oversee the federal criminal investigation into the Watergate burglary and other related crimes that became popularly known as the Watergate scandal. He had a dramatic confrontation with Nixon when he subpoenaed the tapes the president had secretly recorded of his Oval Office conversations. When Cox refused a direct order from the White House to seek no further tapes or presidential materials, Nixon fired him in an incident that became known as the Saturday Night Massacre. Cox's firing produced a public relations disaster for Nixon and set in motion impeachment proceedings which ended with Nixon stepping down from the presidency.
Cox returned to teaching, lecturing, and writing for the rest of his life, giving his opinions on the role of the Supreme Court in the development of the law and the role of the lawyer in society. Although he was recommended to President Jimmy Carter for a seat on the First Circuit Court of Appeals, Cox's nomination fell victim to the dispute between the president and Senator Ted Kennedy. He was appointed to head several public-service, watchdog and good-government organizations, including serving for 12 years as head of Common Cause. Cox was elected to the Common Cause National Governing Board in 1976 and 1997. In addition, he argued two important Supreme Court cases, winning both in part: one concerning the constitutionality of federal campaign finance restrictions (Buckley v. Valeo) and the other the leading early case testing affirmative action (Regents of the University of California v. Bakke).
^Ripley, Anthony (May 19, 1973). "Archibald Cox Appointed Prosecutor for Watergate". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
^Shapiro, Fred R. (2000). "The Most-Cited Legal Scholars". Journal of Legal Studies. 29 (1): 409–426. doi:10.1086/468080. S2CID 143676627.
ArchibaldCox Jr. (May 17, 1912 – May 29, 2004) was an American legal scholar who served as U.S. Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy and...
ArchibaldCox that took place in the United States Department of Justice during the Watergate scandal in 1973. The events followed the refusal by Cox...
regular Justice Department hierarchy. In May 1973, Richardson named ArchibaldCox to the position. On February 7, 1973, the United States Senate voted...
October 19–20, 1973, which included the dismissal of his predecessor ArchibaldCox. Jaworski was born in Waco in central Texas. His mother, Marie (Mira)...
Separately, on May 25, 1973, Attorney General Elliot Richardson appointed ArchibaldCox as special prosecutor for the federal investigation into possible Nixon...
23, 1965 – August 30, 1967 President Lyndon B. Johnson Preceded by ArchibaldCox Succeeded by Erwin Griswold Judge of the United States Court of Appeals...
Roberts Teapot Dome scandal Newbold Morris DOJ corruption allegations ArchibaldCox, Leon Jaworski, Henry S. Ruth Jr., and Charles Ruff Watergate scandal...
Special Prosecutor ArchibaldCox, who was investigating the Watergate scandal. Following an order from President Nixon, Bork fired Cox as his first assignment...
White House to automatically record all conversations. Special Counsel ArchibaldCox, a former United States Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy...
taking office appointed ArchibaldCox under a special one-time regulation. As part of his investigation, in July of that year, Cox first requested and then...
Journalist Jack Anderson speculated that Watergate Special Prosecutor ArchibaldCox had been fired because he had started to investigate Rebozo's role in...
1911 – Maureen O'Sullivan, Irish-American actress (d. 1998) 1912 – ArchibaldCox, American lawyer and politician, 31st United States Solicitor General...
Roberts Teapot Dome scandal Newbold Morris DOJ corruption allegations ArchibaldCox, Leon Jaworski, Henry S. Ruth Jr., and Charles Ruff Watergate scandal...
nationally televised hearings. May 19, 1973: Independent special prosecutor ArchibaldCox appointed to oversee investigation into possible presidential impropriety...
house include: James Agee Leonard Bernstein Benazir Bhutto Ben Bradlee ArchibaldCox T.S. Eliot (as Charles Eliot Norton Chair of Poetry) Patrick X. Gallagher...
Serotta sold the company in 1989 to ArchibaldCox Jr., son of Watergate special prosecutor ArchibaldCox Jr. Cox later purchased Fat City Cycles and merged...
President Richard Nixon to fire the independent special prosecutor, ArchibaldCox, who was tasked with investigating Nixon's role in the Watergate scandal...
Watergate Special Prosecutor ArchibaldCox was interested in meeting with Dean and planned to do so a few days later, but Cox was fired by Nixon the next...
Krogh G. Gordon Liddy Gordon C. Strachan Rose Mary Woods Judiciary ArchibaldCox Leon Jaworski John Sirica Journalists Carl Bernstein Bob Woodward Barry...
Press (February 6, 1977). "ArchibaldCox's legacy must not vanish" (Press release). Common Cause. May 30, 2004. ArchibaldCox, 92, Is Dead; Helped Prosecute...
Krogh G. Gordon Liddy Gordon C. Strachan Rose Mary Woods Judiciary ArchibaldCox Leon Jaworski John Sirica Journalists Carl Bernstein Bob Woodward Barry...
(1901–1984), English footballer Archie Cochrane (1909–1988), Scottish doctor ArchibaldCox Jr. (1912–2004), American lawyer, law professor, US Solicitor General...
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