Mr.+John+Mitchell


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John Newton Mitchell was born on September 5, 1913 in Detroit, Michigan. He had a fairly normal childhood and eventually on to college. He went to college at Fordham University, and on to Fordham Law School in New York City. After law school Mitchell became a Navy torpedo boat commander during World War II. After World War II, Mitchell worked as a very successful attorney in a prominent New York City law firm. John N. Mitchell first met Richard Nixon in 1967 when their law firms merged. The next year Mitchell started to manage Nixon's successful Presidential campaign. In January of 1969 he was appointed Attorney General by Nixon. In 1972 Mitchell resigned as Attorney General to manage Richard Nixon's re-election campaign. After Nixon was re-elected Mitchell resumed his post as Attorney General. Many people considered him to be a controversial Attorney General because of his giving permission to the FBI to wiretap Vietnam War prisoners in 1970. The biggest controversy was in 1972, when Mitchell approved a plan to wiretap the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate Office Building. When Mitchell was asked he knew about Watergate, Mitchell told in a 1972 court that he did. Mitchell eventually resigned because of Watergate as Attorney General, and in 1974 was indicted for: conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury. He was sentenced to 2 1/2 to 8 years in prison, but he only served 19 months. Mitchell was released on parole because of medical reasons. Mitchell died on November 9, 1988 at the age of 75, in Washington D.C.

Bibliography: "John Newton Mitchell." __Encyclopedia Britanica__. 2007. 18 May 2007 [|].

Meyer, Lawrence. "John N. Mitchell, Principal in Watergate, Dies At 75." __Washington Post__. 10 Nov. 1988. Washington Post. 17 May 2007 [|].

Savage, Charlie. "Alito Backed Immunity in Wiretap Case." __Boston.Com__. 24 Dec. 2005. Boston Globe. 15 May 2007 [|.]

Pictures: http://media.npr.org/politics/watergate/mitchell.jpg

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