Chuck Ruff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| White House Counsel | |
| In office February 1997 – August 6, 1999 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Jack Quinn |
| Succeeded by | Cheryl Mills (Acting) |
| Corporation Counsel of the District of Columbia | |
| In office August 1995 – February 1997 | |
| Mayor | Marion Barry |
| Preceded by | Jo Anne Robinson (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Jo Anne Robinson (Acting) |
| United States Attorney for the District of Columbia | |
| In office 1979–1981 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Earl J. Silbert |
| Succeeded by | Stanley S. Harris |
| United States Deputy Attorney General | |
| Acting 1979–1980 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Civiletti |
| Succeeded by | Charles B. Renfrew |
| Special Prosecutor for theUnited States Department of Justice | |
| In office October 17, 1975 – June 1977 | |
| Appointed by | Edward H. Levi |
| Preceded by | Henry S. Ruth Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1939-08-01)August 1, 1939 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | November 19, 2000(2000-11-19) (aged 61) Washington, D.C.,U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Swarthmore College (BA) Columbia University (JD) |
Charles Frederick Carson Ruff (August 1, 1939 – November 19, 2000) was a prominentAmericanlawyer based inWashington, D.C., and was best known as theWhite House Counsel who defended PresidentBill Clinton during hisimpeachment trial in 1999.
Charles Frederick Carson Ruff was born on August 1, 1939, inCleveland Ohio; he grew up mostly inNew York City.[1] Ruff's mother was the public relations director of theMetropolitan Opera, and in anoral history recorded shortly before his death Ruff remembered frequently attending the opera as a child, giving him a lifelong love of music.[2]
Ruff received his B.A. degree fromSwarthmore College in 1960 and hisJ.D. degree fromColumbia Law School in 1963.[1][3] Although Ruff ranked twelfth in a class of 235 at Columbia,[3] he later stated that he "absolutely detested law school."[2]
After graduating from law school, Ruff accepted aFord Foundation fellowship to teach law in Africa.[1] In 1964, while inLiberia, Ruff was sickened withflulike symptoms (a specific diagnosis was never made) and almost died; he becameparalyzed in the legs and used a wheelchair for the rest of his life.[1][2][3] Ruff preferred not to discuss his disability, saying only that "law is a sedentary profession."[1][3]
Ruff was a research associate atColumbia University's African Law Center and taught at theUniversity of Pennsylvania.[3] He joined theU.S. Department of Justice as a trial lawyer in 1967.[3]
Ruff briefly returned to teaching, spending the 1972–73 academic year at the newly establishedAntioch School of Law.[2] Ruff then accepted a job at theGeorgetown University Law Center and simultaneously at the Justice Department's Watergate Special Prosecution Force, which investigated theWatergate scandal.[2][3] Ruff served in the office from 1973 to 1977. Initially an assistantspecial prosecutor, Ruff became the fourth and last Watergate special prosecutor, serving from 1976 to 1978; he oversaw the winding-down of the office.[3] As special prosecutor, Ruff also oversaw a three-monthcampaign-finance investigation of PresidentGerald R. Ford, who was cleared.[3] During the Watergate years, he also taught at Georgetown University Law Center.
Ruff was chief of the Organized Crime and Labor Management Section of theCriminal Division from 1970 to 1972; in that position, Ruff oversaw the successful prosecution ofW.A. "Tony" Boyle, the former head of theUnited Mine Workers, for illegal campaign contributions.[2][3]
In 1978, Ruff became deputy inspector general of theDepartment of Health, Education and Welfare, investigatingMedicare andMedicaid fraud.[3] His nomination was stalled in the Senate for several months byRobert Dole of Kansas.[2] In 1979, Ruff re-joined the Justice Department as actingdeputy attorney general; in this role, Ruff was involved in the prosecution of members ofCongress implicated in theAbscam scandal.[3]
In 1979, PresidentJimmy Carter appointed Ruff asUnited States Attorney for the District of Columbia; he held that job until 1981.[3] Ruff was considered exceptionally qualified for the post,[2] although someAfrican American leaders expressed disappointment that a black lawyer had not been chosen.[3] As U.S. Attorney, Ruff played a "minor legal role" in the case ofJohn W. Hinckley, Jr.'sattempted assassination of Ronald Reagan and theassassination of Orlando Letelier.[3]
In 1982, Ruff joined the Washington law firm ofCovington & Burling, becoming a partner there.[3] Ruff representedSenatorJohn Glenn in theKeating Five scandal (Glenn was admonished by theSenate Ethics Committee) and defended SenatorCharles S. Robb against charges of surreptitiously and unlawfully recording, and disseminating, some private conversations of a political rival, GovernorL. Douglas Wilder.[1][3] In the Robb case, Ruff devised "a masterful and successful strategy": he persuaded his client to appear for a second time before thegrand jury "and then introduced a Justice Department official to instruct the jury that it was not legally bound to follow prosecutors' recommendations for an indictment."[3]
From 1989 and 1990, Ruff served a term as president of theDistrict of Columbia Bar.[2]
In 1991, Ruff was part of the legal team representingAnita Hill during theClarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination; Ruff arranged for Hill to take apolygraph test.[1][3]
Ruff was considered by theClinton administration in 1993 for the post of deputy attorney general, but he was passed over for the position.[3]
Ruff left Covington & Burling in August 1995 to accept an appointment by MayorMarion Barry to the post ofCorporation Counsel for the District of Columbia, overseeing 200 city lawyers.[2][3] Ruff was credited with restoring the reputation of the office, which had faced criticism after having been beset with a series of problems.[1][3] Ruff's decision to leave private practice to lead the Corporation Counsel's Office meant an 80% pay cut; Ruff's colleagueLanny A. Breuer stated that Ruff had taken the position because it was the right thing to do.[1]
In February 1997, Ruff left the Corporation Counsel's Office to becomeWhite House Counsel to President Clinton, the president's fifth.[3] In this role, became best known for skillfully defending Clinton during his 1999impeachment trial in theSenate, which ended in the president's acquittal.[1] Ruff was one of five defense attorneys who represented Clinton; the others wereGregory B. Craig,Cheryl D. Mills,David E. Kendall. andDale Bumpers.[4] According to hisWashington Post obituary, "within the White House, Mr. Ruff was not seen as an obvious team player. He refrained from freely dispensing information to those who did not absolutely need to know the president's legal strategy."[3] Ruff particularly clashed with Craig, who had been brought on by the White House specifically as the "quarterback" for the impeachment defense strategy; "each man behaved as if he were the one in charge" and the two had different professional styles.[5]
In the summer of 1999, Ruff rejoined Covington & Burling, where he remained for the rest of his life; at the time of his death, Ruff was a senior partner.[1][3]
Ruff died on November 19, 2000, at theDistrict of Columbia General Hospital, at the age of 61, following aheart attack in his home.[1] At the time of his death, Ruff was part ofVice PresidentAl Gore's legal team in theFlorida recount case.[2] Ruff was survived by his wife of 38 years, Susan (Sue) Willis Ruff, as well as his mother, two daughters, two granddaughters, and a half-sister, Carla Ruff.[1][3]
On his death, hisNew York Times obituary described him as "one of Washington's most influential if least self-important lawyers."[1]
On January 8, 2001, Ruff was posthumously awarded thePresidential Citizens Medal by President Clinton.[6]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Earl J. Silbert | United States Attorney for the District of Columbia 1979–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Deputy Attorney General Acting 1979–1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Jo Anne Robinson Acting | Corporation Counsel of the District of Columbia 1995–1997 | Succeeded by Jo Anne Robinson Acting |
| Preceded by | White House Counsel 1997–1999 | Succeeded by Cheryl Mills Acting |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
