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William H. Rehnquist

 

b. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1924
d. Arlington, Virginia, September, 2005

William Hubbs Rehnquist was an American lawyer, jurist and political figure who served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States and later as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States.

Youth

William Rehnquist was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 1, 1924, to William Benjamin and Margery Peck Rehnquist. William Hubbs Rehnquist's father was a paper salesman. William Hubbs grew up in a conservative household that revered Republican figures of the day such as Wendell Wilkie and Alf Landon. He attended public schools in Shorewood, a Milwaukee suburb.

Education

He spent one year at Kenyon College before joining the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. From 1943 to 1946, Rehnquist worked as a weather observer in North Africa. Like many people of his generation, Rehnquist finished college with the assistance of the GI Bill. He earned a bachelor and a master of arts degree in political science from Stanford University. Rehnquist continued his education at Harvard University where he received a master's in government. He returned to Stanford Law School in 1950. He graduated at the top of his class, ahead of his future colleague Sandra Day O'Conner, who graduated third.

Political Career

After serving as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson, Rehnquist and his wife Natalie Cornell moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Rehnquist engaged in private practice from 1953 to 1969, and remained active in Republican party politics.

In 1969, President Nixon appointed Rehnquist as assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel. In October 1971, Nixon nominated Rehnquist associate justice of the Supreme Court. He was sworn in on January 7, 1971.

Supreme Court

Nominated by President Reagan, Rehnquist became Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court on September 26, 1986. He became known for his often witty and self-deprecating remarks in court decisions and public statements. Rehnquist campaigned vigorously to reform criminal procedures and to reduce the number of federal death row appeals. He was an early convert to judicial restraint, and decisions throughout his career reflect his belief that federal courts should leave state affairs to local officials.

Rehnquist was the second longest-serving chief justice since Melville Fuller, who died in 1910. Diagnosed with thyroid cancer, Rehnquist continued to work and perform his duties as chief justice until nearly the end of his life. Rehnquist died at his Arlington, Virginia, home on September 3, 2005, just four weeks before his 81st birthday.

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