Nicholas Katzenbach

Nicholas Katzenbach
Yoichi R. Okamoto, White House Press Office (WHPO) · Public domain · source
Name	Nicholas Katzenbach
Caption	Official portrait, c. 1965
Office	Deputy Attorney General of the United States
President	John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson
Term start	1962
Term end	1965
Predecessor	Byron White
Successor	Ramsey Clark
Office1	Attorney General of the United States
President1	Lyndon B. Johnson
Term start1	1965
Term end1	1966
Predecessor1	Robert F. Kennedy
Successor1	Ramsey Clark
Office2	Under Secretary of State
President2	Lyndon B. Johnson
Term start2	1966
Term end2	1969
Predecessor2	George W. Ball
Successor2	Elliot Richardson
Birth date	17 January 1922
Birth place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Death date	8 May 2012
Death place	Skillman, New Jersey, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Education	Phillips Exeter Academy
Alma mater	Princeton University (BA), Yale University (LLB), University of Oxford (MA)
Spouse	Lydia King Phelps Stokes
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Serviceyears	1943–1945
Battles	World War II

Nicholas Katzenbach was a prominent American lawyer and government official who served as the Attorney General and Under Secretary of State under President Lyndon B. Johnson. He is best remembered as a key legal strategist and enforcer for the Kennedy administration and Johnson administration during the pivotal legislative battles of the Civil Rights Movement. His direct confrontations with segregationist officials and his work drafting landmark laws were instrumental in advancing federal civil rights policy.

Early life and education

Nicholas deBelleville Katzenbach was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Trenton, New Jersey. He attended the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy before enrolling at Princeton University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1945. His studies were interrupted by service in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, during which he was shot down and spent two years as a prisoner of war in Germany. After the war, he attended Yale Law School, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in 1947. He then studied as a Rhodes Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford, earning a Master of Arts in law.

Legal career and early government service

After completing his education, Katzenbach taught law at the University of Chicago Law School and later at Yale Law School. He entered government service in 1961 when he was appointed Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. In this role, he provided critical legal advice to the Kennedy administration on a range of issues. He was promoted to Deputy Attorney General in 1962, succeeding Byron White. In this capacity, he became deeply involved in the federal government's response to the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement.

Role in the Civil Rights Movement

As Deputy Attorney General, Katzenbach was a central figure in the United States Department of Justice's civil rights enforcement. He coordinated the federal legal response to crises such as the Birmingham campaign and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He worked closely with civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., and was a principal liaison between the Justice Department and movement organizations like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). His role was to navigate the complex legal and political landscape to protect activists and enforce federal court orders.

Stand in the Schoolhouse Door

Katzenbach played a direct, historic role in ending the segregation of the University of Alabama. On June 11, 1963, Alabama Governor George Wallace famously staged his "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door" to block the enrollment of two African American students, Vivian Malone and James Hood. Acting as the personal representative of President John F. Kennedy, Katzenbach confronted Wallace on the steps of Foster Auditorium. After Wallace refused to step aside, Katzenbach escorted the students to their dormitories. President Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard, and later that day, Guard General Henry V. Graham ordered Wallace to step aside, allowing the students to register. This confrontation was a nationally televised symbol of federal authority over state-sanctioned segregation.

Drafting and advocacy of civil rights legislation

Following the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, Katzenbach became a chief architect of major civil rights legislation for President Lyndon B. Johnson. He was instrumental in drafting the Civil Rights Act of 1964, using his legal expertise to craft provisions that would withstand constitutional challenge, particularly regarding the regulation of interstate commerce under the Commerce Clause. He also played a key role in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, testifying extensively before Congress. After succeeding Robert F. Kennedy as Attorney General in 1965, he oversaw the Justice Department's implementation and enforcement of these transformative laws.

Later government career and diplomacy

Katzenbach served as Attorney General until 1966, when President Johnson appointed him Under Secretary of State. In this diplomatic role, he dealt with major international issues, including the Vietnam War. He was a key advisor to Johnson during the Six-Day War in 1967 and was involved in arms control negotiations. He left the State Department in 1969 after the election of President Richard Nixon.

Later life and legacy

After leaving government, Katzenbach pursued a career in corporate law and business. He served as general counsel for IBM during its landmark antitrust case with the U.S. government. He also served on corporate boards and remained an occasional commentator on legal and political affairs. Nicholas Katzenbach died at his home in Skillman, New Jersey, in 2012. He is remembered as a courageous and skilled lawyer who, at a critical juncture, used the authority of the federal government to confront institutionalized racism and advance the cause of racial equality in the United States. His face-off with George Wallace remains an iconic image of the Civil Rights Movement.