Edwin Meese
Edwin Meese | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, c. 1986 | |
| 75th United States Attorney General | |
| In office February 25, 1985 – August 12, 1988 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | William French Smith |
| Succeeded by | Dick Thornburgh |
| Counselor to the President | |
| In office January 20, 1981 – February 25, 1985 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Robert T. Hartmann John Otho Marsh Jr. (1977) |
| Succeeded by | Clayton Yeutter (1992) |
| Executive Assistant & Chief of Staff to the Governor of California | |
| In office 1969–1974 | |
| Governor | Ronald Reagan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edwin Meese III December 2, 1931 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Ursula Herrick (m. 1959) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Yale University (BA) University of California, Berkeley (LLB) |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom (2019) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1953–1984 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Field Artillery |
Edwin Meese III (born December 2, 1931) is an American attorney, law professor, author and member of the Republican Party who served in Ronald Reagan's gubernatorial administration (1967–1974), the Reagan presidential transition team (1980–81), and the Reagan administration (1981–1985). Following the 1980 presidential election, Reagan considered him for the White House Chief of Staff position, but James Baker was chosen instead. Meese was eventually appointed and confirmed as the 75th United States Attorney General (1985–1988), a position he held until resigning in 1988 amidst the Wedtech scandal.
Meese currently serves as a member of the board of trustees for The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.–based think tank. He was also a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He is a member of the national advisory board of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and a member of the board of directors of the Federalist Society. He has served on the board of Cornerstone closed-end funds.