I AM deeply saddened at the death of former Chief Justice Earl Warren. America has lost one of her finest public servants. He was a man to whom the public trust was a sacred trust. Few men have been called upon to do so much in the service of their nation, and few have performed with such distinction. Even in retirement, Earl Warren repeatedly gave his talents to the service of his countrymen.
County district attorney, State attorney general, Governor of California, candidate for Vice President of the United States, and Chief Justice of the United States, Mr. Warren gave each task his full energy and ability. Much honor was paid him, and he gave much honor in return.
Earl Warren not only rendered outstanding service to our country, but he was a distinguished figure in the Republican Party. In all things he was never a partisan of political advantage, but always a partisan for America.
He was an articulate spokesman for the ideals he cherished. He did not invite controversy, but neither did he shun it; he fulfilled his duty as he saw it.
Mrs. Nixon joins me in extending to the Warren family our sincere condolences. While Mr. Warren's death deprives us of a good and able American, his service to America will continue to shape the course of American life for generations to come and will reflect the highest purposes of America forever.
Note: Mr. Warren, 83, died in Washington, D.C. He was Governor of California from 1943 to 1952 and served as Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969.
The President attended funeral services for Mr. Warren at the Washington Cathedral on July 12, 1974.
Richard Nixon, Statement on the Death of Former Chief Justice Earl Warren. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/256075