William Ruckelshaus

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William D. Ruckelshaus (July 24, 1932 – November 27, 2019) was an American lawyer and public official who helped shape U.S. environmental policy and federal law enforcement. Born in Indianapolis, he studied at Princeton and Harvard Law, served in the U.S. Army, and entered public service in Indiana, including a term in the Indiana House of Representatives (1966–1968).

He moved to the federal level as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division (1969–1970). He became the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when the agency was created in 1970 and led it until 1973, guiding early environmental laws like the Clean Air Act and supporting the ban on DDT. In 1973, he briefly served as acting FBI Director during Watergate-era upheaval and then as Deputy Attorney General. He resigned from the Deputy AG post in the “Saturday Night Massacre” rather than follow President Nixon’s order to fire the special prosecutor, Archibald Cox.

After leaving the Justice Department, he worked in the private sector and in public and environmental roles. Reagan appointed him as EPA Administrator again in 1983, and he served until 1985, restoring stability and focus to the agency. After leaving the EPA, he led Browning-Ferris Industries and held various leadership and advisory positions. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Ruckelshaus died in Medina, Washington, in 2019 at age 87.