Edwin Meese
| Columbia Encyclopedia: 3d Edwin Meese |
Meese, Edwin, 3d, 1931-, American public official, b. Oakland, Calif. As a deputy district attorney of Alameda co., he was a tough prosecutor with little toleration for radical protest. As a result, Gov. Ronald Reagan appointed him secretary of legal affairs. Meese served as counselor to President Reagan (1981-85) before becoming Attorney General (1985-88). As Attorney General he strongly criticized liberal Supreme Court rulings for straying from the "original intent" of the founders. Questions concerning his finances and his handling of the Iran-contra affair led to his resignation in 1988. He later was (2006) a member of the Iraq Study Group.
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| Legal Encyclopedia: Meese, Edwin III |
Edwin Meese III served as U.S. attorney general from 1985 to 1988. A close and trusted advisor to President Ronald Reagan, Meese sought to advance the president's conservative agenda. His tenure, however, was clouded by allegations of ethical violations that eventually led to his resignation.
Meese was born on December 2, 1931, in Oakland. He graduated from Yale University in 1953 and received his law degree from the University of California Law School in 1958. From 1958 to 1967, Meese worked as a deputy district attorney for Alameda County, California.
From 1967 to 1969 Meese served then California governor Ronald Reagan as secretary of legal affairs. In 1969 Meese became executive assistant to the governor, and the following year he was made chief of staff. After Reagan left office, Meese worked in business and law, becoming the director of the Center for Criminal Justice and professor of law at the University of California at San Diego in 1977.
When President Reagan took office in 1981, he appointed Meese as counselor to the president. In this role Meese became an important advisor on domestic policy. Meese and Reagan shared a common agenda on legal topics. They sought to make abortion illegal and to restrict criminal rights, affirmative action, and judicial activism. Meese helped reshape the federal judiciary by advising the president on the appointments for more than half the federal judgeships.
In 1984 Reagan nominated Meese to be U.S. attorney general. Meese encountered fierce opposition from Senate Democrats, who questioned his commitment to civil rights and his personal ethics. Meese admitted he had paid no interest over 20 months on a $60,000 unsecured loan from a trust headed by John McKean, a California accountant he barely knew. McKean was later appointed, with the help of Meese, to the U.S. Postal Service board of governors, a part-time position that paid $10,000 a year. This apparent deal and other charges concerning Meese's personal finances contributed to a thirteen-month delay in his confirmation. The Senate eventually confirmed Meese, who became attorney general in March 1985.
As attorney general, Meese served as Chairman of the Domestic Policy Council and the National Drug Policy Board and was a member of the NationalSecurity Council. Meese sought to establish tough policies against pornography. He appointed a Commission on Pornography, which issued a controversial two-volume report in 1986 that stated that there was a causal link between violent pornography and aggressive behavior toward women. The report also claimed that nonviolent sexually explicit material contributed to sexual violence, a conclusion challenged by many social scientists. The report broke new ground in its exploration of the problem of child pornography.
In 1987 Meese came under scrutiny for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal, which involved a 1985 arms-for-hostages deal with Iran. The key issue in this scandal, which involved presidential aides Oliver L. North and John M. Poindexter, and other administration officials, was whether President Reagan was aware of these activities in 1985. Meese announced on November 24, 1986, that the president had not known about the deal.
A congressional Iran-Contra committee issued its report in November 1987, in which it stated that Meese had failed to give the president sound legal advice and that he had abetted the Reagan administration's alleged disdain for the law. The report suggested that Meese had not fully investigated the scandal and that he might have participated in a cover-up. In addition, the committee determined that he had failed to take appropriate steps to prevent North and Poindexter from destroying critical evidence. Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh, who investigated Iran-Contra, issued a report in 1993 that stated Meese had made a false statement in 1986 when he said that Reagan did not know about the 1985 deal. Walsh did not seek a criminal charge against Meese because he did not have a key piece of evidence, the notes of former defense secretary Caspar W. Weinberger, until 1991.
While Iran-Contra plagued Meese, a more serious problem arose, known as the Wedtech scandal. The scandal began in February 1987 and grew to involve other highly placed members of the Reagan administration, as well as government officials in New York, where the Wedtech Corporation was located. The Wedtech Corporation sought Defense Department contracts in the early 1980s. It hired E. Robert Wallach, Meese's former law school classmate and personal attorney, to lobby the government on its behalf. In 1982 Meese helped Wedtech, at Wallach's urging, to get a special hearing on a $32 million Army engine contract, which the Army considered Wedtech unqualified to perform. Soon after the meeting, the contract was awarded to Wedtech, and one of Meese's top deputies went to work for the corporation. A federal criminal investigation unraveled a string of illegal conduct that led to the conviction of Wallach and other public officials.
Independent Counsel James C. McKay investigated the Wedtech contract and other allegations of misconduct by Meese. In July 1988 he issued his report, which did not call for the filing of any criminal charges against Meese for his actions in Wedtech or his failure to file an income tax return on capital gains. McKay did conclude, however, that Meese may have been "insensitive to the appearance of impropriety."
Following the filing of McKay's 830-page report, Meese announced his resignation, effective at the end of August 1988. Meese claimed that the report vindicated his actions.
| Quotes By: Edwin Meese |
Quotes:
"You don't have many suspects who are innocent of a crime. That's contradictory. If a person is innocent of a crime, then he is not a suspect."
| Wikipedia: Edwin Meese |
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Edwin Meese III
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| In office February 25, 1985 – July 5, 1988 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | William French Smith |
| Succeeded by | Dick Thornburgh |
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| Born | December 2, 1931 Oakland, California |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Yale University University of California-Berkeley |
| Religion | Lutheran |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Colonel |
Edwin "Ed" Meese III (born December 2, 1931 in Oakland, California) is an attorney, law professor, and author who served in official capacities within the Ronald Reagan Gubernatorial Administration (1967-1974), the Reagan Presidential Transition Team (1980), and the Reagan White House (1981-1985), eventually rising to hold the position of the 75th Attorney General of the United States (1985-1988). He currently holds fellowships and chairmanships with several public policy councils and think tanks, including the Constitution Project and the Heritage Foundation.[1]
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Early life and education
Meese is the eldest of four sons born to Edwin Jr. and Leone Meese. His father was an Oakland city government official, president of the Zion Lutheran Church, and served 24 years in the non-partisan office of Treasurer of Alameda County.
At age 10, Meese published along with his brothers a mimeographed neighborhood newspaper, the Weekly Herald, and used the proceeds to buy a War Bond. The young Meese also rode a bicycle on a paper route and worked in a drugstore. At Oakland High School, Meese led his high school debate team to statewide championships and was recognized as valedictorian, class of 1946. Two weeks prior to graduation, he was accepted to Yale University and granted a scholarship. Meese served as president of the Yale Political Union, chairman of the old Conservative Party, and chairman of the Yale Debating Association. Meese made the dean's list, and graduated with a bachelor of arts of political science in 1953.[2]
Military service
Meese became a member of ROTC upon enrollment at Yale, and upon graduation he obtained a commission in the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant. He spent 24 months at Fort Sill near Lawton, Oklahoma. Meese earned experience in logistics, conducting installation and operations of the 240 mm howitzer M1. Meese completed active duty in 1956 and continued in the United States Army Reserve, specializing in military intelligence. Meese retired from the Army Reserve as a Colonel in 1984.[2]
Early career
Meese returned to California, obtaining a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a state Moot Court champion. He graduated in 1958 and accepted a position with the district attorney's office of Alameda County as a law clerk at $281 per month. While there, he worked under D. Lowell Jensen, the district attorney who was engaged in developing a case-management software program known as Dalite.[3] Meese prosecuted felony cases while maintaining a private practice on nights and weekends, focusing on civil law. During this service, he first drew the attention of Republican State Senator Donald Grunsky, who would later recommend him to governor-elect Ronald Reagan.
In 1959 he married high school sweetheart Ursula Herrick, daughter of Oakland's postmaster.[2]
California governor's office
Meese joined Ronald Reagan's staff in 1967. He served as legal affairs secretary from 1967-1968 and as executive assistant and chief of staff to Governor Reagan from 1969 through 1974. Despite his later well-known fondness for Reagan, Meese was initially reluctant to accept the Reagan appointment because Meese saw himself as a non-partisan figure. "I was not particularly interested," Meese said.[2]
Nonetheless, Meese was known for his "unique ability" to explain complex ideas to Reagan in a way that often mirrored Reagan's own speaking style and mannerisms. Because of this, Reagan biographer Lou Cannon referred to Meese as "Reagan's geographer."[4]
After being named Reagan's chief of staff, Meese convinced his predecessor's deputy, Mike Deaver, to stay on in the position, beginning a partnership that would last more than two decades.[5]
For his role in Reagan's office, Meese earned reluctant praise from across the aisle. Former Democratic speaker of the Assembly Bob Moretti said, "Were I in the governor's seat, I would want someone like [Ed Meese] on my side." [6]
Berkeley riots
As Reagan's chief of staff, Meese was instrumental in the decision to crack down on student protesters at People's Park in Berkeley, California, on May 15, 1969. Meese was widely criticized for escalating official response to the People's Park protest, during which law enforcement officers killed one protestor and seriously injured hundreds of others, many of whom were bystanders. Meese advised Reagan to declare a state of emergency in Berkeley, contrary to the recommendation of the Berkeley City Council, which led to a two-week occupation of the city by National Guard troops.
The first governor to turn to Meese for advice on riot control was Democrat Edmund (Pat) Brown, who first telephoned Meese seeking advice on how to best handle the situation. "I told him," Meese said, "that the people in that building should be arrested and taken out of there. I told him that if they were allowed to stay, there would be another mob scene, even bigger, the next day." Meese and Deputy District Attorney Lowell Jensen later served as co-counsels in the trial of Berkeley demonstrators. Meese was recognized as one of five "Outstanding Young Men of California" by the California Junior Chamber of Commerce for his role in countering the Berkeley demonstrators.[2] Meese's role in quelling the riots at UC Berkeley have been identified by critics and supporters as an example of a conservative law-enforcement philosophy at work.[7]
Industry and academia
From January 1975 to May 1976, he was vice president for administration of Rohr Industries in Chula Vista, California. He left Rohr to enter private law practice in San Diego County, California. After receiving a grant from the Sarah Scaife Foundation, Meese developed what he called "a plan for a law school center for criminal justice police and management." The plan was accepted by The University of San Diego, a private Catholic school. From the fall of 1977 through January 1981, Meese served as professor of law at USD. During the same time, Meese served as vice chairman of California's Organized Crime Control Commission and was actively involved with the California Bar Association's criminal law section.[2]
Reagan presidency
Presidential campaign and transition
Following the Iowa caucuses, Meese joined the 1980 Reagan presidential campaign full-time as chief of staff in charge of day-to-day campaign operations and senior issues adviser.[8]
After the 1980 election, Meese headed Reagan's transition effort. Meese became Counselor to the President, and a member of both the President's Cabinet and the National Security Council from 1981 to 1985. At the advice of Meese, Reagan allowed his campaign to secretly establish a transition office to avoid similar difficulties faced by the Nixon administration in their own transition. "Ed had an uncanny ability to look down the road," said Pen James, Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel. Meese's presidential transition team employed more than 1,000 individuals, with 311 being paid in federal funds, 331 working for a "token" $1, and the rest serving as volunteers. Even when accounting for inflation, the Reagan transition team spent less money than the Carter transition team, $1.75 million versus $1.78 million.[2]
Reagan administration
On November 17, 1980, Meese and James Baker held a meeting to divide their list of White House responsibilities, since both saw the potential for future conflict since their positions were somewhat similar in nature. The one-page memorandum listed Meese's responsibilities as: "Counselor to the President for Policy (with cabinet rank); member Super Cabinet Executive Committee (in absence of The President and V-P preside over meetings); participate as a principle in all meetings of full Cabinet; coordination and supervision of responsibilities of The Secretary to the Cabinet; coordination and supervision of work of the Domestic Policy Studies and the National Security Council; with Baker coordination and supervision of work of OMB, CEA, CEQ, Trade Rep and S&T; participation as principle in all policy group meetings; attend any meeting which Pres attends - w/his consent."[6]
On Monday, September 14, 1981, Meese chaired the first White House discussion of what would become Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), i.e. missile defense, program.[2]
Although few in the Reagan White House were interested in pursuing social policy, Meese served as a liaison to the conservative evangelical community, arranging for meetings between social consrevative leaders and the president. Meese was lauded by social conservatives for his address to the Congress on the Bible in March 1982, when he said, "Someone has estimated that throughout the course of history man has adopted over four billion laws. It seems to me, with all that effort, we haven't improved one iota on the Ten Commandments."[9]
Near the end of Reagan's presidency, Meese's involvement in the Iran-Contra affair as a "counselor" and "friend" to Reagan was scrutinized by the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters, which stated in its official report that Meese's knowledge of the 1985 HAWK transaction "raised serious legal questions."[10]
Meese was considered a powerful and influential figure inside the White House. Said former Reagan advisor and journalist David Gergen, "He's a tremendously influential and highly valued adviser to the President who advises on issues all across the board. He's one of the men who has known [the President] so long and so well he's become almost an alter ego of Ronald Reagan."[2]
Service as U.S. Attorney General
Meese became Attorney General in February 1985, holding this office until August, 1988. It was during this tenure that D. Lowell Jensen, Meese's former superior at the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, served as his Assistant Attorney General and thus the second-ranking official in the Justice Department.[3]
Meese Report
On May 21, 1984, Reagan announced his intention to appoint the Attorney General to study the effect of pornography on society.[11] The Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, often called the Meese Commission, convened in the spring of 1985 and published its findings in July 1986. The Meese Report advised that pornography was in varying degrees harmful.[12]
Drug control policy
As Attorney General, Meese chaired the National Drug Policy Board, which coordinated with Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No," national anti-drug educational campaign. One of Meese's innovations was to seek the cooperation of drug-producing companies in seizing the assets of drug traffickers. "One of our most effective weapons against drug traffickers," Meese said, "was to confiscate the assets of their criminal activity," including but not limited to automobiles, yachts, homes and businesses.[13]
Supreme Court views
In 1985 Meese delivered a speech calling for a "jurisprudence of original intent" and criticizing the Supreme Court for straying from the original intention of the U.S. Constitution. Justices William J. Brennan and John Paul Stevens disagreed with Meese publicly later that year, in a dispute that foreshadowed the contentious Robert Bork hearings of 1987.
Meese was well known for his opposition to the Miranda Warning ruling by the Supreme Court requiring a suspects rights to be read to him before he is questioned by authorities.[14]
U.S News & World Report: You criticize the Miranda ruling, which gives suspects the right to have a lawyer present before police questioning. Shouldn't people, who may be innocent, have such protection?
Meese: Suspects who are innocent of a crime should. But the thing is, you don't have many suspects who are innocent of a crime. That's contradictory. If a person is innocent of a crime, then he is not a suspect.[14]
Iraq Study Group
In May 2006 Meese was named a member of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group by group co-chairmen James Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton, commissioned to assess and report on the contemporary status of the Iraq War. Meese co-authored the group's final December 2006 report.[15]
Fellowships
Meese serves on the boards of several institutions. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University[16]
Meese serves as an Adjunct Fellow at the Discovery Institute and serves on the Board of Directors of the Junior State of America[17] Meese is also on the Board of Directors for the Capital Research Center, a conservative think tank devoted to the research of non-profit groups.[16]
Meese served on the Executive Committee (1994) and as president (1996) of the Council for National Policy (CNP), and served as co-chairman of the Constitution Project's bipartisan Sentencing Committee.[18]
Writings
- Judicial Tyranny: The New Kings of America? - contributing author (Amerisearch, 2005) ISBN 0-9753455-6-7
- The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, ISBN 1-59698-001-X
- With Reagan, 1992, Regnery Gateway, 0-89526-522-2
See also
References
- ^ Heritage Foundation
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Edwards, Lee. To Preserve and Protect, The Heritage Foundation, 2005, ISBN 0-89195-116-4.
- ^ a b Fricker, Richard L. (1993). "The INSLAW Octopus". Wired. pp. ppg.1-8. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.01/inslaw.html?topic=&topic_set=. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
- ^ Cannon, Lew (2005). Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power. PublicAffairs. p. 327-8. ISBN 978-1586482848.
- ^ Heritage Foundaton (November 2004). "Interview with Michael K. Deaver".
- ^ a b Schieffer, Bob; Gary Paul Gates (1990). The Acting President. Plume. p. 45. ISBN 978-0525485797.
- ^ Ravitch, Diane (1983), The Troubled Crusade, New York: Basic Books, p. 191, ISBN 978-0465087570
- ^ Wirthlin, Dick; Wynton C. Hall (2004). The Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught Me About Politics. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Song. p. 45. ISBN 978-0471736486.
- ^ Meese, Edwin. "Papers of Edwin Meese II". Stanford University.
- ^ "Walsh Iran / Contra Report". Federation of American Scientists. November 1986. http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/chap_31.htm. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
- ^ Remarks on Signing the Child Protection Act of 1984, The American Presidency Project.
- ^ Meese v. Playboy, National Review, September 26, 1986.
- ^ Meese, Edwin (1992). With Reagan: The Inside Story. Regnery Gateway. p. 310. ISBN 978-0895265227.
- ^ a b "Justice under Reagan: Reagan seeks judges with 'traditional approach' (interview)". U.S. News & World Report 99 (1). October 14, 1985. pp. 67.. ISSN 0041-5537.
- ^ Larson, Ian and Sucher, Lauren (2006-05-31). "Edwin Meese Replaces Rudolph Giuliani on Iraq Study Group". United States Institute for Peace. pp. 1. http://www.usip.org/isg/news_releases/meese.html. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
- ^ a b "Edwin Meese III". Hoover.org. Hoover Institution. http://www.hoover.org/bios/meese.html. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
- ^ "The Junior State of America Announces Council of Governors for 2008-2009". JSA.org. 28 April 2008. http://www.jsa.org/jsa-today/new-governors-elected-3.html. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
- ^ http://www.constitutionproject.org/sentencing/members.cfm?categoryId=7
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Edwin Meese |
- Edwin Meese profile, NNDB
- Attorney General's Commission on Pornography
- Final Report of the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters - U.S. Court of Appeals
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| Preceded by William F. Smith |
United States Attorney General Served Under: Ronald Reagan 1985–1988 |
Succeeded by Richard L. Thornburgh |
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