Leon Jaworski facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leon Jaworski
Jaworski in 1977
Special Prosecutor for the United States Department of Justice
In office November 1, 1973 – October 25, 1974
Appointed by	Robert Bork
Deputy	Henry S. Ruth Jr.
Preceded by	Archibald Cox
Succeeded by	Henry S. Ruth Jr.
Personal details
Born	Leonidas Jaworski (1905-09-19)September 19, 1905 Waco, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 9, 1982(1982-12-09) (aged 77) Wimberley, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Baylor University (LLB) George Washington University (LLM)

Leonidas "Leon" Jaworski (born September 19, 1905 – died December 9, 1982) was an American lawyer and law professor. He is best known for being the second special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal. He took on this important role on November 1, 1973. This was shortly after the "Saturday Night Massacre", when his predecessor, Archibald Cox, was fired.

Early Life and Education

Leon Jaworski was born in Waco, a city in central Texas. His mother, Marie, was from Austria, and his father, Joseph, was from Poland. His father was an evangelical minister. Leon was named after the ancient Spartan king Leonidas. He had a brother named Hannibal.

Leon was a very dedicated student. He often studied at night using the light from oil lamps. He was a champion debater at Waco High School. He went on to graduate from Baylor Law School. Later, he earned his master's degree in law from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C..

Legal Career Highlights

In 1925, Leon Jaworski made history. He became the youngest person ever allowed to practice law in Texas. He joined a law firm in Houston in 1931. This firm later became Fulbright & Jaworski, one of the largest law firms in the United States.

Jaworski was a leader in the legal community. He served as president of the Texas Bar Association from 1962 to 1963. He also led the American Bar Association from 1971 to 1972. Before becoming Special Prosecutor, he was also president of the Houston Chamber of Commerce in 1960. He served on many company and community boards.

During World War II, Jaworski served in the United States Army. He worked in the judge advocate office, which handles military law. He reached the rank of colonel. In 1964, he helped the Warren Commission. This group investigated the assassination of President Kennedy. Jaworski served as a special lawyer for the Attorney General of Texas during these hearings.

World War II Prosecutions

As a colonel in the Army, Jaworski led the prosecution in several cases. One notable case was the Johannes Kunze murder trial. In this trial, five German prisoners of war were accused of harming another prisoner. They believed the prisoner was a "traitor."

Fort Lawton Incident

On August 14, 1944, an incident occurred at Fort Lawton near Seattle. It involved African-American U.S. soldiers and Italian prisoners of war. An Italian POW, Guglielmo Olivotto, died during this event. Jaworski then prosecuted forty-three African-American soldiers. Twenty-eight of them were found guilty. This was the longest U.S. Army court-martial during World War II.

Many years later, in 2007, the U.S. Army Board for Correction of Military Records reviewed these cases. They decided that all those convictions should be overturned. This was because Jaworski had made significant errors during the trials.

Political Connections

Leon Jaworski was a member of the Democratic Party. He was a friend of fellow Texan Lyndon B. Johnson. Jaworski successfully represented Johnson in a lawsuit in 1960. This lawsuit was about Johnson running for both the U.S. Senate and Vice President at the same time.

However, Jaworski did not always support Democratic candidates. He supported Richard Nixon and voted for him twice. He also contributed to George H. W. Bush's campaign for president in 1980. After Bush conceded, Jaworski became treasurer for "Democrats for Reagan" in the 1980 election.

In 1980, Jaworski showed his strong sense of fairness. He helped Egil "Bud" Krogh, a former Nixon staffer. Jaworski had sent Krogh to prison in 1973. But Jaworski helped Krogh get his law license back in Washington state.

The Watergate Scandal

On November 1, 1973, Jaworski became the Special Prosecutor for the Watergate scandal. This was a very important role. He took charge of a long struggle with President Nixon. Jaworski needed to get evidence for the trial of former high-ranking government officials. These officials faced charges related to the Watergate scandal.

Jaworski's predecessor, Archibald Cox, first thought only Nixon's aides were involved. But then, Nixon's deputy assistant, Alexander Butterfield, testified. Cox learned that Nixon had discussed the Watergate cover-up many times. These talks had been recorded by the White House taping system. This discovery led Cox to ask for copies of several presidential conversations. He needed them as evidence for the upcoming criminal trial.

However, Nixon refused to release the tapes. He said it was because of "executive privilege." This means the President can keep some information private. Nixon offered Cox a deal called the Stennis Compromise. Instead of the tapes, he would give Cox written copies of the recordings. Nixon would decide what parts to include. Also, one senator would listen to the recordings to check if the copies were accurate. Cox rejected this offer. Because of this, Nixon arranged for Cox to be fired. This event is widely known as the "Saturday Night Massacre". Acting Attorney General Robert Bork carried out the firing.

On November 1, 1973, Bork announced that Jaworski would replace Cox. Nixon approved this choice. Jaworski then asked for sixty-four taped conversations. Nixon challenged this request in court. He argued two main points. First, he said the Special Prosecutor's office could not sue the President's office. Second, he claimed the tapes were private presidential conversations.

Jaworski knew this was a major constitutional issue. He did not want to wait any longer. So, he asked the Supreme Court to hear the case directly. This meant bypassing the Court of Appeals.

On July 24, 1974, the Supreme Court made its decision. They ruled that the Special Prosecutor could indeed sue the President. They also said that the President's general claim of privacy must give way. It had to yield to the clear need for evidence in a criminal trial. Nixon was forced to give the unedited tapes to Jaworski. This included the "Smoking Gun Tape". This tape contained a damaging discussion from June 23, 1972. After this, President Nixon's remaining support disappeared. He resigned on August 9, 1974.

In the summer of 1982, seven members of the grand jury spoke out. They had served for 30 months. They said they believed justice was not fully served. They told the ABC news show 20/20 that they wanted to charge President Nixon. This was after hearing the tapes released in 1974. One grand juror said that all 19 people in the room wanted to indict Nixon. However, Jaworski did not support an indictment. He said he would not sign one. He explained to the grand jury that he considered "the trauma of the country." Also, before Nixon resigned, there was no past example of charging a sitting president.

Later Life and Legacy

Jaworski resigned as special prosecutor on October 25, 1974. This was after the cover-up trial had started. A new special prosecutor was then appointed. Jaworski was a close friend of Dean Ernest Raba. Raba was from St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio. Jaworski taught there as a visiting professor for several years.

In 1977, Jaworski agreed to serve as special counsel for a House Ethics Committee investigation. This investigation looked into whether members of Congress had accepted gifts from the government of Republic of Korea. This investigation was known as Koreagate. It involved many members of Congress and their families. There were charges of bribery and using influence.

Leon Jaworski passed away on December 9, 1982. He was chopping wood at his ranch near Wimberley. His wife died in 1999. His son, Joseph Jaworski, became a best-selling author and leadership expert. His grandson, Robert Draper, is a political journalist. Another grandson, Joe Jaworski, was a mayor of Galveston. He ran for Texas Attorney General in 2022.

Awards and Honors

In 1971, Leon Jaworski received the Golden Plate Award. This award is given by the American Academy of Achievement.

In 1988, the HBAA Leon Jaworski Award was created. This award honors a lawyer for a lifetime of volunteer service. It is based solely on service to the greater Houston community. The award is named after Leon Jaworski because his life showed a deep commitment to public service.