Norbert A. Schlei
 | This article contains close paraphrasing of a non-free copyrighted source, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-apr-21-me-schlei21-story.html (Copyvios report). (November 2024) |
Norbert A. Schlei | |
|---|---|
| United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel | |
| In office 1962–1966 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Nicholas Katzenbach |
| Succeeded by | Frank M. Wozencraft |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 14, 1929 |
| Died | April 17, 2003 (aged 73) |
| Political party | Democratic |
Nobert Anthony Schlei (1929-2003) was an American lawyer who served as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at the United States Department of Justice from 1962 to 1966.[1][2][3] He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the California state legislature in 1962 and for Secretary of State of California in 1966.[1]
Early life
[edit]Schlei was born on June 14, 1929 in Dayton, Ohio.[1][4] In 1950, he graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in English literature and international relations.[2][4] He served as a naval officer during the Korean War.[4] After the war, he attended Yale Law School, becoming the editor of the The Yale Law Journal, graduating in 1956.[2][4]
Career
[edit]After graduating from law school, Schlei served as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan from 1956 to 1957.[2][4] He then practiced law in Los Angeles and became the Democratic nominee for the 57th district in the California State Assembly in the 1962 election.[1][4]
In August 1962, President John F. Kennedy appointed Schlei as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice.[2][5] He succeeded Nicholas Katzenbach, who was appointed Deputy Attorney General.[5] He had to abandon his bid for the California State Assembly to take office.[1][5]
Shortly after his appointment at the Office of Legal Counsel, he was sent to Mississippi to help the administration's response to the University of Mississippi's refusal to enroll James Meredith.[3] During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Schlei developed the legal justification for Kennedy's naval "quarantine" of military equipment being shipped to Cuba.[1][6] As Assistant Attorney General, Schlei drafted several proposed bills for the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, including the bills that would eventually become the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[2][3]
Schlei left the Department of Justice in 1966 to run for Secretary of State of California. He defeated six other candidates in the Democratic primary but lost to incumbent Republican Frank M. Jordan.[1] In the 1968 presidential election, he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and was yards away from Robert F. Kennedy on the night of his assassination.[1]
After his 1966 election defeat, Schlei returned to private practice as a trial and securities lawyer.[6] In 1995, Schlei was charged with fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering for allegedly helping sell fake Japanese government bonds worth $16 million.[1][7] He was acquitted of some charges but convicted of conspiracy and securities fraud.[1][7] The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the judgment, and Schlei agreed to a negotiated settlement and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in 1998 rather than face a retrial, although he maintained his innocence.[1][3]
Personal life
[edit]In March 2002, Schlei was jogging in Santa Monica, California, where he suffered a heart attack, which left him virtually unconscious for over a year until his death on April 17, 2003.[1][6]
He was married three times and is survived by his third wife, Joan, and his three daughters and three sons.[1][6]
Further reading
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oliver, Myrna (2003-04-21). "Norbert Schlei, 73; Principal Author of Civil Rights Act, Other Landmark Laws". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- ^ a b c d e f Saxon, Wolfgang (April 23, 2003). "Norbert A. Schlei, 73, Legal Adviser in Kennedy-Johnson Era". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Norbert Anthony Schlei 1929-2003". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (40): 124. Summer 2003 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c d e f "Norbert Anthony Schlei". Arthur J. Morris Law Library. University of Virginia. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ a b c "Schlei, Norbert A.: Oral History Interview - JFK #1, 2/20-21/1968". JFK Library. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- ^ a b c d "Norbert Schlei". The Herald. May 5, 2003. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Former Federal Legal Official Convicted of Securities Fraud". Associated Press. The New York Times. January 8, 1995. Retrieved 3 November 2024.