Bill Sessions | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 4thDirector of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | |
| In office November 2, 1987 – July 19, 1993 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton |
| Deputy | Floyd I. Clarke |
| Preceded by | William H. Webster |
| Succeeded by | Louis Freeh |
| Chief Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Texas | |
| In office 1980–1987 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Roberts |
| Succeeded by | Lucius Desha Bunton III |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Texas | |
| In office December 20, 1974 – November 1, 1987 | |
| Appointed by | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Ernest Allen Guinn |
| Succeeded by | Emilio M. Garza |
| United States Attorney for theWestern District of Texas | |
| In office 1971–1974 | |
| Appointed by | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Segal Wheatley |
| Succeeded by | Hugh Shovlin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Steele Sessions (1930-05-27)May 27, 1930 Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | June 12, 2020(2020-06-12) (aged 90) San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingPete |
| Education | Baylor University (BA,LLB) |
William Steele Sessions (May 27, 1930 – June 12, 2020) was an American attorney and jurist who served as aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Texas and the fourth Director of theFederal Bureau of Investigation. Sessions served as FBI director from 1987 to 1993, when he was dismissed by PresidentBill Clinton. After leaving the public sector, Sessions representedSemion Mogilevich, international leader of theRussian mafia. He is the father of Texas CongressmanPete Sessions.
Sessions was born inFort Smith,Arkansas, the son of Edith A. (née Steele) and the Reverend Will Anderson Sessions Jr.[1] He graduated fromNortheast High School inKansas City,Missouri, in 1948, and enlisted in theUnited States Air Force, receiving his commission October 1952. He served on active duty until October 1955. He attendedBaylor University inWaco, Texas, where he received aBachelor of Arts degree in 1956. He received aBachelor of Laws in 1958 fromBaylor Law School.[2] At Baylor, Sessions became a member of theDelta Chi fraternity.[3] He was anEagle Scout and recipient of theDistinguished Eagle Scout Award from theBoy Scouts of America.[4][5]
Sessions was an attorney for the firm of Haley, Fulbright, Winniford, Sessions, and Bice inWaco, Texas, from 1963 until 1969. He was then appointed Chief of the Government Operations Section, Criminal Division of theDepartment of Justice inWashington, D.C., where he served until his appointment asUnited States Attorney for the Western District of Texas in 1971.[2]
Sessions was nominated by PresidentGerald Ford on December 11, 1974, to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Texas vacated by JudgeErnest Allen Guinn. He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on December 19, 1974, and received his commission on December 20, 1974. He served as Chief Judge from 1980 to 1987. He served as a board member of theFederal Judicial Center from 1980 to 1984. His service terminated on November 1, 1987, due to his resignation.[2]
After a two-month search, Sessions was nominated to succeedWilliam H. Webster as FBI Director by PresidentRonald Reagan and was sworn in on November 2, 1987.[6]
Sessions was viewed as combining tough direction with fairness and was respected even by the Reagan administration's critics, although he was sometimes ridiculed as straitlaced and dull and lacking hands-on leadership. He worked to raise the image of the FBI in Congress and fought to raise the pay of FBI agents, which had lagged behind other law enforcement agencies.[6]
Reflecting the tensions between the Justice Department and the independent Bureau, Sessions announced that the FBI would be looking into whether Justice Department officials illegally misled a federal judge in a politically sensitive bank fraud case involving loans to Iraq before thePersian Gulf War, and 48 hours later Sessions was the subject of an ethics investigation on whether he had abused his office perks.[7][6]
Sessions enjoyed his strongest support among liberal Democrats in Congress.[7][6] Sessions was applauded for pursuing a policy of broadening the FBI to include more women and minorities, efforts which upset the "old boys" at the Bureau.[6]
Sessions became associated with the phrase "Winners Don't Use Drugs", which appeared in theattract mode of North American–releasedarcade games from 1989 to 2000.[8][9] By law, it had to be included on all imported arcade games released in North America, and continued to appear long after Sessions left office. The quote normally appeared in gold against a blue background between the FBI seal and Sessions' name.[8]
Sessions' major contributions to the US criminal justice community include the encouraging of the FBI laboratory to develop a DNA program with a strong legal underpinning and the automation of the national fingerprint process. The latter project, known as theIntegrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), reduced the turnaround time from months to hours for fingerprint searches for both criminal arrest cycles and applicants for sensitive positions such as teachers.[6]
Sessions's final years as FBI director were marked by two highly controversial incidents: the 1992Ruby Ridge standoff, during which an unarmed woman, Vicki Weaver, was killed by an FBI sniper,Lon Horiuchi, while she was holding a 10-month-old baby;[10][11][12] and the 1993Waco siege, which resulted in the deaths of 82Branch Davidians, including 28 children.[13] The Ruby Ridge standoff and the Waco siege were later cited as motivations for theOklahoma City bombing, the deadliest act of terrorism in U.S. history before theSeptember 11 attacks.[14][15]
Just beforeBill Clinton was inaugurated as the 42ndPresident of the United States on January 20, 1993, allegations of ethical improprieties were made against Sessions. A report by outgoing Attorney GeneralWilliam P. Barr presented to theJustice Department that month by theOffice of Professional Responsibility included criticisms that he had used an FBI plane to travel to visit his daughter on several occasions, and had a security system installed in his home at government expense.[7]Janet Reno, the 78thAttorney General of the United States, announced that Sessions had exhibited "serious deficiencies in judgment".[16]
Although Sessions denied that he had acted improperly, he was pressured to resign in early July, with some suggesting that Clinton was giving Sessions the chance to step down in a dignified manner. Sessions refused, saying that he had done nothing wrong, and insisted on staying in office until his successor was confirmed. As a result, Clintondismissed Sessions on July 19, 1993. Sessions was five and a half years into a ten-year term as FBI director; however, the holder of this post servesat the pleasure of the President.[17]
Clinton nominatedLouis Freeh to the FBI directorship on July 20, 1993. Then–FBI Deputy DirectorFloyd I. Clarke, who Sessions suggested had led a coup to force his removal, served as Acting Director until September 1, 1993, when Freeh was sworn in.[18]
Sessions returned to Texas where on December 7, 1999, he was named the state chair of Texas Exile, a statewide initiative aimed at reducing gun crime.[19]
William Sessions was the American attorney ofSemion Mogilevich, the "boss of bosses" of theRussian mafia, and a member of theFBI Most Wanted Fugitives list, with close ties toVladimir Putin.[20][21][22]
Sessions was a member of theAmerican Bar Association and had served as an officer or on the Board of Directors of the Federal Bar Association of San Antonio, theAmerican Judicature Society, the San Antonio Bar Association, the Waco-McLennan County Bar Association, and the District Judges' Association of the Fifth Circuit. He was appointed by Reagan as a Commissioner of theMartin Luther King Jr., Federal Holiday Commission, and was a Delegate for the Americas to the Executive Committee ofICPO-Interpol. He was also a member of theConstitution Project's bipartisan Liberty and Security Committee.[23]
Sessions was present on theAmerican Bar Association task force examining the constitutionality of controversial presidentialsigning statements. It concluded in July 2006 that the practice "does grave harm to theseparation of powers doctrine, and the system ofchecks and balances that have sustained our democracy for more than two centuries".[24] In 2008, he argued that the execution ofTroy Anthony Davis should not proceed because of serious doubts as Davis' guilt.[25] Sessions agreed to serve onThe Constitution Project's Guantanamo Task Force in December 2010.[26][27][28]
He died less than two months after two former Acting FBI Directors,James B. Adams, andJohn E. Otto, and 6.5 months after another Acting FBI Director,William Ruckelshaus.
Sessions married Alice Lewis, his high school classmate, in 1952. Together, they had four children: William L.,Pete, Mark, and Sara. He filed for divorce on February 20, 2018, but this was dismissed withoutprejudice on October 11, 2019.[13] Alice died on December 21, 2019 at their home in Washington, D.C.[29]
Sessions was unrelated toJeff Sessions, U.S. Attorney General (2017-2018).[30]
Sessions died on June 12, 2020, at his home inSan Antonio from complications ofheart failure.[29] He was 90.[31][32]
Former FBI Director William Sessions, former Arkansas U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson, a retired Army general and a retired appeals court judge in Washington are among 11 people selected for a task force that will meet for the first time in early January, said Virginia Sloan, a lawyer and president of The Constitution Project.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Texas 1974–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Texas 1980–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | 4thDirector of the Federal Bureau of Investigation 1987–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Bureau of Investigation |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Bureau of Investigation | ||
Italics denotes an acting director. | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
