Elliot Richardson Quote

Elliot Lee Richardson (July 20, 1920 – December 31, 1999) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. As a member of the cabinets of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford between 1970 and 1977, Richardson is one of two men in United States history to hold four cabinet positions, the other being George Shultz. He served as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1970 to 1973, Secretary of Defense and Attorney General in 1973, and Secretary of Commerce from 1976 to 1977. As Attorney General, Richardson played a prominent role in the Watergate scandal when he led a mass resignation in protest against President Nixon's order to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox.
Born in Boston, Richardson attended Harvard University. After graduating, he served in World War II as a combat medic and participated in the invasion of Normandy. He returned home, attended Harvard Law School, and clerked for Learned Hand and Felix Frankfurter before beginning his legal career at Ropes & Gray. Richardson began a long career in public office in 1959 when he was appointed by President Dwight Eisenhower to the position of United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, the lead federal prosecutor in the state. Through the 1960s, he was a leading figure in the Massachusetts Republican Party and won election as Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. As of 2023, he is the last Republican to serve as Massachusetts Attorney General.