Egil Krogh

Egil Krogh
Name	Egil Krogh
Birth date	July 3, 1939
Birth place	Seattle, Washington
Death date	January 18, 2020
Death place	Washington, D.C.
Occupation	Attorney, DoJ official, author
Known for	Role in Watergate; leader of White House "Plumbers"

Egil Krogh Egil "Bud" Krogh Jr. was an American lawyer and DoJ official who served in the Nixon administration, became a central figure in the Watergate era as the head of the White House security task force nicknamed the "Plumbers", and later wrote on legal ethics and public service. His career spanned work with the FCC, the U.S. Department of Justice, private practice, and teaching; his involvement in covert operations during the Vietnam War and Nixon presidency led to prosecution, conviction, and later reflection in memoirs and public commentary.

Early life and education

Born in Seattle, Washington, he was raised in the Pacific Northwest and attended University of Washington for undergraduate studies before earning a law degree from UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law. During his formative years he engaged with civic institutions such as Rotary International and was influenced by contemporary debates over the Cold War and Vietnam War. His early legal training placed him among contemporaries from institutions including Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Columbia Law School who later entered federal service.

Legal and governmental career

After law school he joined private practice and later entered federal service, working at agencies such as the FCC and the DoJ. He was appointed to the White House staff under Richard Nixon and worked closely with senior officials including John Ehrlichman, H.R. Haldeman, and John Dean. In the White House he coordinated security and investigative measures, interacting with entities such as the CIA, the FBI, and the United States Secret Service. His role connected him with legal figures from the Supreme Court era dominated by justices like Warren E. Burger and contemporaneous executive branch lawyers who navigated statutes such as the Federal Records Act.

Watergate involvement and the "Plumbers"

In response to leaks surrounding the Pentagon Papers and other disclosures, senior White House aides established a task force to stop leaks; Krogh led that unit, informally known as the "Plumbers". The group included operatives linked to figures like G. Gordon Liddy and conducted covert operations that intersected with the CREEP and activities tied to the Watergate scandal. Operations authorized during this period involved break-ins, surveillance, and intelligence-gathering that drew attention from the FBI and later congressional investigations by panels such as the Senate Watergate Committee chaired by Sam Ervin. These activities occurred against the backdrop of presidential controversies including the Saturday Night Massacre and evolving executive-privilege disputes involving Alexander Haig and Elliot Richardson.

Prosecution, conviction, and sentence

After the Watergate investigations and plea agreements by other defendants, he was indicted and pleaded guilty to charges related to authorizing illegal break-ins and conspiracy. He was convicted in federal court and sentenced to prison by judges in the United States District Court system, serving a term that placed him among other convicted officials from the Nixon administration such as John Mitchell and H.R. Haldeman. The prosecution involved prosecutors from the Special Prosecutor office established following the appointment of figures like Archibald Cox and later Leon Jaworski. His sentence, commutation, and eventual release were part of the broader legal aftermath that included pardons and controversies involving President Gerald Ford.

Later career and writings

Following his release, he resumed private legal practice, engaged in teaching and lecturing at institutions including Georgetown University and other law schools, and became an advocate for legal ethics and accountability alongside scholars from institutes such as the American Bar Association and Brookings Institution. He authored a memoir reflecting on his role in the Nixon years, interacting with historical narratives shaped by works like All the President's Men and analyses by historians of the Watergate scandal. He served on corporate boards and advised clients with links to international law firms and regulatory bodies such as the SEC and the Department of Justice's ethics divisions. His later commentary appeared in outlets associated with The New York Times, The Washington Post, and legal journals tied to Harvard Law Review-style scholarship.

Personal life and death

He married and raised a family, participating in community organizations and religious institutions such as local Episcopal Church parishes and civic groups connected to Seattle and Washington, D.C.. In later years he suffered from health issues and died in Washington, D.C. in January 2020; his death was noted in obituaries that placed his life in context with the legacy of the [Nixon presidency], the Watergate scandal, and debates over executive power and legal responsibility. He is remembered in discussions alongside figures like Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, and other chroniclers of the 1970s political era.

Category:1939 births Category:2020 deaths Category:People from Seattle Category:United States Department of Justice officials Category:Lawyers from Washington, D.C.