Jeb Stuart Magruder

Jeb Stuart Magruder was an American political operative and businessman who became a central figure in the Watergate scandal. As the deputy director of Richard Nixon's Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), he was a key participant in the planning and cover-up of the Watergate break-in. Magruder later provided crucial testimony to the Senate Watergate Committee and the Department of Justice, which implicated higher administration officials, including Ehrlichman and Haldeman. Following a prison sentence, he remade his life as a Presbyterian minister and business consultant.

Early life and education

Jeb Stuart Magruder was born on Staten Island and raised in a well-to-do family, with his father working as an executive for Westinghouse Electric Corporation. He attended the prestigious Eaglebrook School in Massachusetts before completing his secondary education at the Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut. Magruder earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Williams College in 1958, where he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. After serving as a lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve, he pursued a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, graduating in 1962. His early career was in business, working for companies like International Paper and the Bristol-Myers subsidiary Clairol, before entering politics.

Watergate involvement

Magruder joined the Nixon presidential campaign in 1968 and was appointed to a role in the Department of Commerce. In 1971, he became the deputy director of the Committee for the Re-Election of the President under John N. Mitchell. In this capacity, Magruder attended meetings with figures like G. Gordon Liddy where plans for political espionage, including the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex, were approved. Following the arrest of the burglars on June 17, 1972, Magruder actively participated in the cover-up, destroying incriminating documents and perjuring himself before the original trial grand jury. Under increasing pressure from federal prosecutors and the Senate investigation, Magruder began cooperating with authorities in April 1973, providing detailed testimony that directly implicated Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Mitchell.

Post-Watergate life and career

In 1974, Magruder pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and defraud the United States. He was sentenced to ten months to four years in prison, serving time at the Allenwood Federal Prison Camp. After his release, he authored a memoir, An American Life: One Man's Road to Watergate. Magruder underwent a significant personal transformation, earning a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1981 and becoming an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He served congregations in Columbus and Lexington, Kentucky, and later worked as a development director for Young Life. He also re-entered the business world as a consultant and speaker on ethics, drawing from his experiences during the Watergate scandal.

Personal life and death

Magruder was married twice, first to Gail Magruder, with whom he had four children during the tumultuous Watergate period. The couple later divorced. He subsequently married Patricia Magruder. In his later years, he lived in Danbury, Connecticut. Jeb Stuart Magruder died on May 11, 2014, at his home from complications following a fall. His death was reported by major news outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post, which noted his complex legacy as a key conspirator who ultimately aided the investigation that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Category:American Presbyterians Category:Watergate scandal figures Category:1934 births Category:2014 deaths