Nicholas Katzenbach

Nicholas deBelleville Katzenbach (January 17, 1922 – May 8, 2012) was an American attorney who served as the 65th United States Attorney General from February 11, 1965 to October 2, 1966 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Prior to that role he held several key legal positions in federal government, including Deputy Attorney General during the Kennedy administration and later Under Secretary of State. His career spanned military service, academia, corporate counsel work, and significant involvement in landmark civil rights actions and national investigations.

Early life and career

Katzenbach entered the world on January 17, 1922, in Philadelphia before growing up in Trenton, New Jersey. He was born into a family with a strong legal tradition; his father, Edward L. Katzenbach, had served as Attorney General of New Jersey, while his mother, Marie Hilson Katzenbach, became the first female president of the New Jersey State Board of Education. His uncle, Frank S. Katzenbach, held positions as Mayor of Trenton and Justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Raised in an Episcopalian household with German ancestry, he attended Phillips Exeter Academy before enrolling at Princeton University. In 1941, while still a junior at Princeton, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps following the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served as a navigator in the 381st Bombardment Squadron of the 310th Bomb Group, operating North American B‑25 Mitchell bombers over North Africa. On February 23, 1943, his aircraft was shot down over the Mediterranean Sea; he spent more than two years as a prisoner of war in Italian and German camps, including Stalag Luft III, where he participated in the “Great Escape” effort and conducted informal classes on common law principles for fellow prisoners.

After returning from service, Katzenbach completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton, earning an A.B. cum laude in 1945 with credit for the extensive reading he had undertaken while captive. His senior thesis was titled *The Little Steel Formula: An Historical Appraisal*. He then attended Yale Law School, graduating with an LL.B. cum laude in 1947 and serving as editor‑in‑chief of the Yale Law Journal. From 1947 to 1949, he pursued a Rhodes Scholarship at Balliol College, Oxford.

On June 8, 1946, he married Lydia King Phelps Stokes; their wedding was officiated by her uncle, Anson Phelps Stokes, former canon of Washington National Cathedral. His father‑in‑law, Harold Phelps Stokes, had been a newspaper correspondent and secretary to President Herbert Hoover.

Katzenbach entered the legal profession in 1950, being admitted to the New Jersey bar that year and later to the Connecticut bar in 1955. He began his practice as an associate at the law firm Katzenbach, Gildea and Rudner in 1950. His early career also included public service: from 1950 to 1952 he served as attorney‑advisor in the Office of General Counsel to the Secretary of the Air Force.

Simultaneously, Katzenbach engaged in academia. He was on the faculty at Rutgers Law School during 1950–51, an associate professor of law at Yale from 1952 to 1956, and a professor of law at the University of Chicago between 1956 and 1960. These positions allowed him to shape legal education across several prominent institutions.

Cabinet tenure

Katzenbach’s federal government career accelerated in the early 1960s. He served as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel from 1961 to 1962, a role that involved providing legal advice to the Department of Justice and other executive agencies. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy appointed him Deputy Attorney General. After President Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963, Katzenbach continued his service under President Lyndon B. Johnson.

On February 11, 1965, President Johnson nominated Katzenbach as the United States Attorney General, and he was confirmed by the Senate. He held the office until October 2, 1966, during which time he oversaw the Department of Justice’s legal work on a range of national issues. Following his tenure as Attorney General, Katzenbach served as Under Secretary of State from 1966 to 1969. In that capacity, he addressed international incidents such as the 1967 USS Liberty event and provided commentary on diplomatic matters.

Katzenbach’s involvement in pivotal moments of the civil rights era is well documented. On June 11, 1963, he was a key participant in the “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” at the University of Alabama. Governor George Wallace had attempted to block the enrollment of two African‑American students, Vivian Malone and James Hood. With a U.S. Marshal and an attorney present, Katzenbach read a statement from President Kennedy demanding that the university admit the students. The confrontation ended when Wallace stepped aside after orders from National Guard General Henry V. Graham, allowing Katzenbach to escort the students into the campus.

In addition to civil rights actions, Katzenbach played a significant role in the investigation of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. On November 25, 1963, he sent a memo to White House aide Bill Moyers recommending that a Presidential Commission be established to investigate the shooting. He urged that the findings of the FBI’s inquiry be made public to address public concerns about potential conspiracies. The following day, President Johnson appointed members—including the Chief Justice—to form what became known as the Warren Commission.

After leaving government service in 1969, Katzenbach joined IBM as general counsel. He represented the company during a prolonged antitrust case brought by the Department of Justice that sought to break up IBM; he worked on the case for thirteen years until the DOJ dropped it in 1982. In later years, he continued to engage with legal matters and published a memoir in September 2008 detailing his experiences in public office.

Legacy

Nicholas Katzenbach’s career spanned military service, academia, federal law enforcement, diplomatic affairs, and corporate counsel work. His contributions to the enforcement of civil rights laws during the 1960s are remembered as part of the broader struggle for racial equality in the United States. By participating directly in the resolution of the University of Alabama desegregation crisis, he helped ensure that federal authority could be exercised to uphold constitutional rights.

Katzenbach’s involvement in establishing the Warren Commission is noted as a foundational moment in the nation’s approach to investigating presidential assassinations and addressing public demand for transparency. His recommendations for making investigative findings available to the public reflected an early emphasis on accountability within the executive branch.

Beyond his governmental service, Katzenbach’s academic appointments at Rutgers, Yale, and the University of Chicago contributed to legal scholarship and education, influencing a generation of law students. His later work with IBM during a major antitrust case demonstrated his expertise in navigating complex litigation between private corporations and federal regulatory agencies.

Katzenbach passed away on May 8, 2012, leaving behind a legacy characterized by public service across multiple branches of government, dedication to legal principles, and involvement in some of the most significant events of mid‑20th‑century American history.