Nomination of William H. Rehnquist To Be Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court

The President today announced his intention to nominate Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist to be the next Chief Justice of the United States. He would succeed Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. Justice Rehnquist was named to the United States Supreme Court in 1971 by President Nixon.

Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Justice Rehnquist served in the Department of Justice as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel from 1969 to 1971. He practiced law as a partner with several firms in Phoenix, AZ, from 1953 to 1969. He was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson in 1952-1953. He graduated first in his class from Stanford Law School in 1952. He received his B.A., with great distinction, from Stanford University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received M.A. degrees in political science from Stanford in 1948 and from Harvard in 1949.

Justice Rehnquist is married to the former Natalie Cornell, and they have three children. He was born on October 1, 1924, in Milwaukee, WI.