John Doar | |
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 Doar in 2012, upon receiving thePresidential Medal of Freedom | |
| Born | John Michael Doar (1921-12-03)December 3, 1921 New Richmond, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | November 11, 2014(2014-11-11) (aged 92) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) University of California, Berkeley (LLB) |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Political party | Republican |
| Awards |  President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service (1964) |
John Michael Doar (December 3, 1921 – November 11, 2014) was an American lawyer and senior counsel with thelaw firm Doar Rieck Kaley & Mack inNew York City.
During the administrations of presidentsJohn F. Kennedy andLyndon B. Johnson, he served first as DeputyAssistant Attorney General for Civil Rights from 1961 to 1965, and then as head of the division from 1965 until 1967. He led the government's response to events such as the admission and protection ofJames Meredith, the first black student admitted to theUniversity of Mississippi,[1] as well as the evolving response to the civil rights movement promoting integration and voter registration in the South.[2] Additionally, in 1973–74, he served as the lead special counsel for theU.S. House Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiry staff during theimpeachment process against Richard Nixon.[3]
Doar was born inNew Richmond, Wisconsin, the son of Mae and William Doar.[4] In 1940, Doar graduated fromSt. Paul Academy and Summit School inSaint Paul, Minnesota.[5] He served in theUnited States Army Air Forces duringWorld War II and was a pilot. He graduated with an A.B. from the School of Public and International Affairs (nowPrinceton School of Public and International Affairs) atPrinceton University in 1944 after completing a senior thesis titled "An Analysis of Farmer Cooperatives, 1918–1946."[6] He then received an LL.B. from theUniversity of California, Berkeley, School of Law. From 1950 to 1960, Doar then worked in his family's law firm in New Richmond, Wisconsin.[4]
| External videos | |
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 “Eyes on the Prize; Interview with John Doar” conducted in 1985 for theEyes on the Prize documentary in which he describes the integration of the University of Mississippi and his role in investigating murders of civil rights activists and other forms of intimidation in the South. |
A Republican,[4] Doar served as Deputy Assistant and thenAssistant Attorney General forCivil Rights in theU.S. Dept. of Justice, from 1960 to 1967,[7] during which time he was involved in several of the most significant events of theAmerican civil rights movement. In 1961 he operated inMontgomery, Alabama, along with his assistant,John Seigenthaler, to protect theFreedom Riders.[8]
In 1962, he confrontedRoss Barnett over Barnett's attempts to preventJames Meredith from entering thesegregatedUniversity of Mississippi. He also prosecuted Collie Wilkins for federal civil rights violations in themurder ofViola Liuzzo,[9] gaining conviction by anall-white jury inAlabama. In 1963, he calmed anangry mob after theassassination of civil rights leaderMedgar Evers, murdered outside his home.[10]
AfterAndrew Goodman,James Chaney andMichael Schwerner, young civil rights workers,were murdered in Mississippi, Doar prosecuted the federal case against their alleged murderers, charging them with civil rights violations.[10] He also acted as the federal chief counsel during theTheron Lynd litigation, a circuit clerk and voter registrar in Forrest County, Mississippi accused of discrimination.[11][12]
He had earlier contributed to drafting theCivil Rights Act of 1964, whichLyndon Johnson signed to try to secure constitutional rights for all citizens. In March 1965, Doar was the first to arrive inMontgomery, Alabama, during the third of theSelma to Montgomery marches. He walked into Montgomery half a block ahead of the march in his capacity as Assistant Attorney General.[8]
Doar left the government in 1967. He went into private practice and worked forBedford Stuyvesant Development Corporation.[13] From late 1968 to 1969 he was president of theNew York City Board of Education.[14] During his tenure he supported gender discrimination, opposing the entry of girls to all-boy high schools.[15]
Doar was hired in December 1973 to be the lead special counsel for theHouse Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiry staff during theimpeachment process against Richard Nixon.[16] He supervised a team which in due course grew to 100 persons, including lawyers, investigators, clerks and stenographers. To minimize leaks he established strict rules of conduct that included this directive: "The staff of the impeachment inquiry shall not discuss with anyone outside the staff either the substance or procedure of their work or that of the committee."[17]
He then started a law firm in New York City: Doar, Rieck, Kaley, & Mack.[4][7]
Doar died inNew York City from congestive heart failure, aged 92.[4] He was survived by his children: Gael, Michael,Robert (a former Commissioner of theNew York City Human Resources Administration) and Burke.
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