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Dwight Chapin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| White House Appointments Secretary | |
| In office 1969–1973 | |
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | James R. Jones |
| Succeeded by | Warren S. Rustand |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Dwight Lee Chapin (1940-12-02)December 2, 1940 (age 84) Wichita, Kansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | University of Southern California (Bachelor of Arts) |
Dwight Lee Chapin[1] (born December 2, 1940) is an American political organizer, businessman and retired public servant. He was Deputy Assistant to President of the United StatesRichard Nixon during theWatergate scandal. Chapin was convicted of lying to a grand jury (perjury) during the scandal and served nine months at theFederal Correctional Institution, Lompoc.
Chapin was born in Wichita, Kansas. He got his first experience inCalifornia politics in 1958 at theAmerican Legion'sBoys State summer program, where he was elected the head of the Tory Party. His counterpart, the Whig Party leader, wasStacy Keach, who went into acting as a career. Chapin graduated in 1963 from the University of Southern California, where he was a member ofSigma Chi fraternity and theTrojan Knights. At USC, he was a member ofTrojans for Representative Government with futureWatergate scandal participantsTim Elbourne,Donald Segretti,Gordon C. Strachan,Herbert Porter, andRon Ziegler.
When Nixon ran for California governor in 1962, Chapin, then still at USC, was a paid Field Man (on-the-ground organizational leader for election campaigns)[2] and worked with the volunteer organization. After the 1962 campaign, he was hired byH. R. Haldeman to work at theJ. Walter Thompson Company, an advertising firm, in Los Angeles.
Chapin was part ofNixon's presidential campaign from 1967 to 1968, serving as Nixon's personal aide.Time described him as "young, athletic, religious, handsome, clean-cut, bright, ambitious, and tough."
He was Special Assistant to the President (1969–1971), and then Deputy Assistant (1971–1973). He was theappointments secretary, responsible for scheduling presidential activities, appointments, and travel. In addition, Chapin was in charge of the White House television office. Chapin also oversaw the hiring and the supervising of presidential advance men, and headed that group to prepare for Nixon's second overseas trip, to thePeople's Republic of China in February 1972, after an earlier trip toJapan in 1969. In 1973, Chapin was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the year by theUnited States Junior Chamber (Jaycees) for his work.
It was during this time Chapin hiredDonald Segretti, his former colleague from USC, to disrupt the campaigns of Democratic presidential hopefuls during the 1972 presidential primary season through acts of political "sabotage" - known as the "dirty tricks" campaign. Chapin was asked to find a "Dick Tuck" (a legendary Democratic political saboteur) type of prankster to perform the "dirty tricks" to work underH. R. Haldeman, Nixon's Chief of Staff, and the President.
Segretti later testified before a Watergate grand jury about the activities, including Chapin's supervisory role. Chapin denied any detailed knowledge of Segretti or actions that Segretti undertook during grand jury testimony. Segretti testified, "When Dwight hired me he made it clear he was hiring me because I was a lawyer and would know what was legal and what was not." Chapin was never indicted for any of Segretti's activities. Chapin resigned to work as an executive forUnited Airlines but was drawn back into the Watergate legal proceedings.
In a 1974 jury trial, Chapin was convicted of making false material declarations before a grand jury[3] and was imprisoned in the federal corrections camp at Lompoc, California (so-called "Camp Cupcake")[4] from August 1975 to April 1976. Despite the relatively minor repercussions he remained indignant, initially vowing to appeal "all the way to the Supreme Court" (which he did) in a very hostile political climate. It was later revealed that he was earning $1,000 per week while in prison, on the payroll ofW. Clement Stone Enterprises.[5]
After his release from prison, Chapin re-entered the private sector and worked at W. Clement Stone Enterprises in Chicago. From 1977 to 1984, he published a magazine calledSuccess Unlimited. Chapin then worked for the international public relations firmHill & Knowlton in Chicago. Later, Chapin had assignments in Geneva, Switzerland, Tokyo, Japan and Hong Kong, where he was managing director, Asia, for Hill & Knowlton.
In 1986, Chapin started Chapin Enterprises. The firm provided consulting services to many prestigious companies and associations. Chapin remained involved in politics and in 1980 worked forRonald Reagan's election as president. In 1988, he held a position in theGeorge H. W. Bush presidential campaign.
Chapin has maintained an active interest in politics and is now a business consultant and mentor/coach in East Hampton, New York.[citation needed]. In 2022, he published a memoir titledThe President's Man.[6]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | White House Appointments Secretary 1969–1973 | Succeeded by |
