Edwin Meese

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).

Meese was born on December 2, 1931, in Oakland, California, the eldest of four sons born to Leone (née Feldman) and Edwin Meese, Jr. He was raised in a practicing Lutheran family, of German descent.

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 was involved in the Junior State of America and led his high school debate team to statewide championships.

He was valedictorian of Oakland High School's class of 1949.

Two weeks prior to graduation, Meese was accepted to Yale University and granted a scholarship.

At Yale, Meese served as president of the Yale Political Union, chairman of the Conservative Party, chairman of the Yale Debate Association, and a member of the secret society Spade and Grave.

Meese made the dean's list, and graduated with a B.A. in political science in 1953.

At Yale, Meese was a member of ROTC.

Upon graduating in 1953, he obtained a commission in the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant.

He spent 24 months at Fort Sill near Lawton, Oklahoma.

Meese worked in logistics, conducting installation and operations of the 240 mm howitzer M1.

Meese completed active duty in 1956 and continued in the U.S. Army Reserve, specializing in military intelligence.

Meese returned to California, where he obtained a law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law in 1958 and was a state Moot Court champion.

He accepted a position with the district attorney's office of Alameda County, California as a law clerk.

While there, he worked under district attorney J. Frank Coakley and future district attorney Delwen Lowell Jensen.

Jensen received a LEAA grant to develop DALITE (District Attorney's Automated Legal Information System), a case management software program, like Promis (Prosecutor's Management Information System), developed by Inslaw.

Meese prosecuted felony cases while maintaining a private practice on nights and weekends, where he focused on civil law.

During this service, he first drew the attention of Republican State Senator Donald L. Grunsky, who would later recommend him to governor-elect Ronald Reagan.

In 1959, he married his high school sweetheart Ursula Herrick, daughter of Oakland's postmaster.

Meese joined Ronald Reagan's gubernatorial staff in 1967 as legal affairs secretary, serving in that role for a year, until 1968.

In 1969, he became Governor Reagan's executive assistant and chief of staff, and served in that capacity until 1974.

Despite his later well-known reputation of being fond of Reagan, Meese was initially reluctant to accept the appointment.

"I was not particularly interested", he later said of the position.

Meese was known for his ability to explain complex ideas to Reagan in a way that often mirrored Reagan's own speaking style and mannerisms, leading Reagan biographer Lou Cannon to describe him as "Reagan's geographer".

After being named Reagan's chief of staff, Meese convinced his predecessor's deputy, Mike Deaver, to stay on with him, beginning a partnership that would last more than two decades.

For his role in Reagan's office, Meese earned reluctant praise from across the aisle.

Bob Moretti, a Democrat and former Democratic Speaker of the Assembly, said, "Were I in the governor's seat, I would want someone like [Ed Meese] on my side."

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 the official response to the People's Park protest, during which law enforcement officers killed one student, on his way to class, who was not a protester and injured hundreds of others, including bystanders.

Meese advised Reagan to declare a state of emergency in Berkeley, contrary to the recommendation of the Berkeley City Council.

Following the 1984 presidential election, Reagan considered him for the White House Chief of Staff position, but James Baker was chosen instead.

Meese retired from the Army Reserve as a colonel in 1984.

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.