Mitchell, John Newton (1913-1988), served as attorney general of the United States from 1969 to 1972. He was one of President Richard M. Nixon’s most influential advisers on both domestic and international problems. Mitchell was a central figure in the Watergate political scandal. In 1975, he became the only attorney general ever convicted of a felony (see Watergate ).
Mitchell resigned as attorney general in March 1972 to become director of the Committee for the Re-election of the President (CRP), a post he held for only four months. Two other CRP officials were among the seven men involved in the June 1972 burglary of Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. In 1977, after he had been convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury, Mitchell began serving a 21/2– to 8-year prison term. His sentence was reduced to 1 to 4 years, and he was paroled in 1979.
Mitchell was born on Sept. 15, 1913, in Detroit. He grew up in New York City and graduated from Fordham University and Fordham Law School. As a lawyer, Mitchell handled state and municipal bond issues and was considered an expert in public finance. Mitchell’s New York City law firm merged with Nixon’s in 1967. Mitchell served as Nixon’s presidential campaign manager in 1968. Mitchell died on Nov. 9, 1988.
