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{{short description|American lawyer}}
{{Infobox Lawyer
{{redirect|Chuck Ruff|the rock drummer|Chuck Ruff (musician)}}
| last_name    = Ruff
{{Infobox officeholder
| image        = [[Image:Charles Ruff.jpg|200px]]
|name        = Chuck Ruff
| firm        =  
|office      = [[White House Counsel]]
| alma_mater   = Columbia University Law School
|president    = [[Bill Clinton]]
| website     =  
|term_start  = February 1997
|term_end    = September 1999
|predecessor  = [[Jack Quinn (lawyer)|Jack Quinn]]
|successor    = [[Beth Nolan]]
|office1      = [[United States Attorney for the District of Columbia]]
|president1  = [[Jimmy Carter]]
|term_start1  = 1979
|term_end1    = 1981
|predecessor1 = Earl J. Silbert
|successor1  = [[Stanley S. Harris]]
|office2      = [[United States Deputy Attorney General]]<br>Acting
|president2  = [[Jimmy Carter]]
|term_start2  = 1979
|term_end2    = 1980
|predecessor2 = [[Benjamin Civiletti]]
|successor2   = [[Charles Byron Renfrew|Charles B. Renfrew]]
|office3     = [[Special Prosecutor]] for the [[United States Department of Justice]]
|appointer3  = [[Edward H. Levi]]
|term_start3  = 1976
|term_end3    = 1978
|predecessor3 = Henry Ruth
|successor3  = ''Position not in use''
|birth_date  = {{birth date|1939|8|1}}
|birth_place  = [[Cleveland|Cleveland, Ohio]], U.S.
|death_date  = {{death date and age|2000|11|19|1939|8|1}}
|death_place  = [[Washington, D.C.]], [[United States|U.S.]]
|party        = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|education    = [[Swarthmore College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Columbia University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
}}
}}
'''Charles Frederick Carson Ruff''' (August 1, 1939 – November 19, 2000) was a prominent [[United States|American]] [[lawyer]] based in [[Washington, D.C.]], and was best known as the [[White House Counsel]] who defended President [[Bill Clinton]] during his [[Impeachment of Bill Clinton|impeachment trial]] in 1999.
 
'''Charles Frederick Carson Ruff''' (August 1, 1939 – November 19, 2000) was a prominent American [[:Category:Lawyers|lawyer]] based in Washington, D.C., and was best known as the White House Counsel who defended President Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial in 1999.


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Charles Frederick Carson Ruff was born on August 1, 1939, in [[Cleveland Ohio]]; he grew up mostly in [[New York City]].<ref name="NYTObit">[[Neil A. Lewis]], [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/21/nyregion/charles-ruff-white-house-counsel-who-defended-clinton-in-impeachment-dies-at-61.html Charles Ruff, White House Counsel Who Defended Clinton in Impeachment, Dies at 61], ''New York Times'' (November 21, 2000).</ref> Ruff's mother was the public relations director of the [[Metropolitan Opera]], and in an [[oral history]] recorded shortly before his death Ruff remembered frequently attending the opera as a child, giving him a lifelong love of music.<ref name="Becker">Daniel Becker, [https://www.dcbar.org/bar-resources/publications/washington-lawyer/articles/april-2001-legends-in-the-law.cfm Charles F. C. Ruff: A Legend in the Law], ''Washington Lawyer'' (April 2001).</ref>
Charles Frederick Carson Ruff was born on August 1, 1939, in Cleveland Ohio; he grew up mostly in New York City.<ref name="NYTObit">Neil A. Lewis, [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/21/nyregion/charles-ruff-white-house-counsel-who-defended-clinton-in-impeachment-dies-at-61.html Charles Ruff, White House Counsel Who Defended Clinton in Impeachment, Dies at 61], ''New York Times'' (November 21, 2000).</ref> Ruff's mother was the public relations director of the Metropolitan Opera, and in an oral history recorded shortly before his death Ruff remembered frequently attending the opera as a child, giving him a lifelong love of music.<ref name="Becker">Daniel Becker, [https://www.dcbar.org/bar-resources/publications/washington-lawyer/articles/april-2001-legends-in-the-law.cfm Charles F. C. Ruff: A Legend in the Law], ''Washington Lawyer'' (April 2001).</ref>


Ruff received his B.A. degree from [[Swarthmore College]] in 1960 and his [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] degree from [[Columbia Law School]] in 1963.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit">Adam Bernstein, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/11/21/lawyer-charles-fc-ruff-dies/d36b57f3-d1aa-493d-b5a7-7532e8e18b8a/ Lawyer Charles F.C. Ruff Dies], ''Washington Post'' (November 21, 2000).</ref> Although Ruff ranked twelfth in a class of 235 at Columbia,<ref name="WaPoObit"/> he later stated that he "absolutely detested law school."<ref name="Becker"/>
Ruff received his B.A. degree from Swarthmore College in 1960 and his J.D. degree from Columbia Law School in 1963.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit">Adam Bernstein, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/11/21/lawyer-charles-fc-ruff-dies/d36b57f3-d1aa-493d-b5a7-7532e8e18b8a/ Lawyer Charles F.C. Ruff Dies], ''Washington Post'' (November 21, 2000).</ref> Although Ruff ranked twelfth in a class of 235 at Columbia,<ref name="WaPoObit"/> he later stated that he "absolutely detested law school."<ref name="Becker"/>


After graduating from law school, Ruff accepted a [[Ford Foundation]] fellowship to teach law in Africa.<ref name="NYTObit"/> In 1964, while in [[Liberia]], Ruff was sickened with [[Influenza-like illness|flulike symptoms]] (a specific diagnosis was never made) and almost died; he became [[Paralysis|paralyzed]] in the legs and used a wheelchair for the rest of his life.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="Becker"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff preferred not to discuss his disability, saying only that "law is a sedentary profession."<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/>
After graduating from law school, Ruff accepted a Ford Foundation fellowship to teach law in Africa.<ref name="NYTObit"/> In 1964, while in Liberia, Ruff was sickened with flulike symptoms (a specific diagnosis was never made) and almost died; he became paralyzed in the legs and used a wheelchair for the rest of his life.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="Becker"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff preferred not to discuss his disability, saying only that "law is a sedentary profession."<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/>


==Career==
==Career==
Ruff was a research associate at [[Columbia University]]'s African Law Center and taught at the [[University of Pennsylvania]].<ref name="WaPoObit"/> He joined the [[U.S. Department of Justice]] as a trial lawyer in 1967.<ref name="WaPoObit"/>
Ruff was a research associate at Columbia University's African Law Center and taught at the [[University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School]].<ref name="WaPoObit"/> He joined the U.S. Department of Justice as a trial lawyer in 1967.<ref name="WaPoObit"/>


Ruff briefly returned to teaching, spending the 1972-73 academic year at the newly established [[Antioch School of Law]].<ref name="Becker"/> Ruff then accepted a job at the [[Georgetown Law|Georgetown University Law Center]] and simultaneously at the Justice Department's Watergate Special Prosecution Force, which investigated the [[Watergate scandal]].<ref name="Becker"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff served in the office from 1973 to 1977. Initially an assistant [[special prosecutor]], Ruff became the fourth and last Watergate special prosecutor, serving from 1976 to 1978; he oversaw the winding-down of the office.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> As special prosecutor, Ruff also oversaw a three-month [[Campaign finance|campaign-finance]] investigation of President [[Gerald R. Ford]], who was cleared.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> During the Watergate years, he also taught at Georgetown University Law Center.
Ruff briefly returned to teaching, spending the 1972-73 academic year at the newly established [[Antioch School of Law]].<ref name="Becker"/> Ruff then accepted a job at the [[Georgetown University Law Center]] and simultaneously at the Justice Department's Watergate Special Prosecution Force, which investigated the Watergate scandal.<ref name="Becker"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff served in the office from 1973 to 1977. Initially an assistant special prosecutor, Ruff became the fourth and last Watergate special prosecutor, serving from 1976 to 1978; he oversaw the winding-down of the office.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> As special prosecutor, Ruff also oversaw a three-month campaign-finance investigation of President Gerald R. Ford, who was cleared.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> During the Watergate years, he also taught at Georgetown University Law Center.


Ruff was chief of the Organized Crime and Labor Management Section of the [[United States Department of Justice Criminal Division|Criminal Division]] from 1970 to 1972; in that position, Ruff oversaw the successful prosecution of [[W. A. Boyle|W.A. "Tony" Boyle]], the former head of the [[United Mine Workers]], for illegal campaign contributions.<ref name="Becker"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/>
Ruff was chief of the Organized Crime and Labor Management Section of the Criminal Division from 1970 to 1972; in that position, Ruff oversaw the successful prosecution of W.A. "Tony" Boyle, the former head of the United Mine Workers, for illegal campaign contributions.<ref name="Becker"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/>


In 1978, Ruff became deputy inspector general of the [[Department of Health, Education and Welfare]], investigating [[Medicare fraud|Medicare]] and [[Medicaid fraud]].<ref name="WaPoObit"/> His nomination was stalled in the Senate for several months by [[Robert Dole]] of Kansas.<ref name="Becker"/> In 1979, Ruff re-joined the Justice Department as acting [[United States Deputy Attorney General|deputy attorney general]]; in this role, Ruff was involved in the prosecution of members of [[United States Congress|Congress]] implicated in the [[Abscam]] scandal.<ref name="WaPoObit"/>
In 1978, Ruff became deputy inspector general of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, investigating Medicare and Medicaid fraud.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> His nomination was stalled in the Senate for several months by Robert Dole of Kansas.<ref name="Becker"/> In 1979, Ruff re-joined the Justice Department as acting deputy attorney general; in this role, Ruff was involved in the prosecution of members of Congress implicated in the Abscam scandal.<ref name="WaPoObit"/>


In 1979, President [[Jimmy Carter]] appointed Ruff as [[United States Attorney for the District of Columbia]]; he held that job until 1981.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff was considered exceptionally qualified for the post,<ref name="Becker"/> although some [[African American]] leaders expressed disappointment that a black lawyer had not been chosen.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> As U.S. Attorney, Ruff played a "minor legal role" in the case of [[John W. Hinckley, Jr.]]'s [[attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan]] and the [[assassination of Orlando Letelier]].<ref name="WaPoObit"/>
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter appointed Ruff as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia; he held that job until 1981.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff was considered exceptionally qualified for the post,<ref name="Becker"/> although some African American leaders expressed disappointment that a black lawyer had not been chosen.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> As U.S. Attorney, Ruff played a "minor legal role" in the case of John W. Hinckley, Jr.'s attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan and the assassination of Orlando Letelier.<ref name="WaPoObit"/>


In 1982, Ruff joined the Washington law firm of [[Covington & Burling]], becoming a partner there.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff represented [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[John Glenn]] in the [[Keating Five]] scandal (Glenn was admonished by the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics|Senate Ethics Committee]]) and defended Senator [[Charles S. Robb]] against charges of surreptitiously and unlawfully recording, and disseminating, some private conversations of a political rival, Governor [[L. Douglas Wilder]].<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/> In the Robb case, Ruff devised "a masterful and successful strategy": he persuaded his client to appear for a second time before the [[grand jury]] "and then introduced a Justice Department official to instruct the jury that it was not legally bound to follow prosecutors' recommendations for an indictment."<ref name="WaPoObit"/>
In 1982, Ruff joined the Washington law firm of [[Covington & Burling]], becoming a partner there.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff represented Senator John Glenn in the Keating Five scandal (Glenn was admonished by the Senate Ethics Committee] and defended Senator Charles S. Robb against charges of surreptitiously and unlawfully recording, and disseminating, some private conversations of a political rival, Governor L. Douglas Wilder.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/> In the Robb case, Ruff devised "a masterful and successful strategy": he persuaded his client to appear for a second time before the grand jury "and then introduced a Justice Department official to instruct the jury that it was not legally bound to follow prosecutors' recommendations for an indictment."<ref name="WaPoObit"/>


From 1989 and 1990, Ruff served a term as president of the [[District of Columbia Bar]].<ref name="Becker"/>
From 1989 and 1990, Ruff served a term as president of the District of Columbia Bar.<ref name="Becker"/>


In 1991, Ruff was part of the legal team representing [[Anita Hill]] during the [[Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination]]; Ruff arranged for Hill to take a [[polygraph test]].<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/>
In 1991, Ruff was part of the legal team representing Anita Hill during the [[Clarence Thomas]] Supreme Court nomination; Ruff arranged for Hill to take a polygraph test.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/>


Ruff was considered by the [[Bill Clinton administration|Clinton administration]] in 1993 for the post of deputy attorney general, but he was passed over for the position.<ref name="WaPoObit"/>
Ruff was considered by the Clinton administration in 1993 for the post of deputy attorney general, but he was passed over for the position.<ref name="WaPoObit"/>


Ruff left Covington & Burling in August 1995 to accept an appointment by Mayor [[Marion Barry]] to the post of [[Attorney General for the District of Columbia|Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia]], overseeing 200 city lawyers.<ref name="Becker"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff was credited with restoring the reputation of the office, which had faced criticism after having been beset with a series of problems.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff's decision to leave private practice to lead the Corporation Counsel's Office meant an 80% pay cut; Ruff's colleague [[Lanny A. Breuer]] stated that Ruff had taken the position because it was the right thing to do.<ref name="NYTObit"/>
Ruff left Covington & Burling in August 1995 to accept an appointment by Mayor Marion Barry to the post of Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia, overseeing 200 city lawyers.<ref name="Becker"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff was credited with restoring the reputation of the office, which had faced criticism after having been beset with a series of problems.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff's decision to leave private practice to lead the Corporation Counsel's Office meant an 80% pay cut; Ruff's colleague Lanny A. Breuer stated that Ruff had taken the position because it was the right thing to do.<ref name="NYTObit"/>


In February 1997, Ruff left the Corporation Counsel's Office to become [[White House Counsel]] to President Clinton, the president's fifth.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> In this role, became best known for skillfully defending Clinton during his 1999 [[Impeachment of Bill Clinton|impeachment trial]] in the [[United States Senate|Senate]], which ended in the president's acquittal.<ref name="NYTObit"/> Ruff was one of five defense attorneys who represented Clinton; the others were [[Gregory B. Craig]], [[Cheryl D. Mills]], [[David E. Kendall]]. and [[Dale Bumpers]].<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/defense.htm Defense Who's Who], ''Washington Post'' (January 19, 1999).</ref> According to his ''Washington Post'' obituary, "within the White House, Mr. Ruff was not seen as an obvious team player. He refrained from freely dispensing information to those who did not absolutely need to know the president's legal strategy."<ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff particularly clashed with Craig, who had been brought on by the White House specifically as the "quarterback" for the impeachment defense strategy; "each man behaved as if he were the one in charge" and the two had different professional styles.<ref name="Grove">Lloyd Grove & John F. Harris, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/craig111998.htm Crisis Quarterback: Gregory Craig Is Calling the Plays On Clinton's Team], ''Washington Post'' (November 19, 1998), D01.</ref>
In February 1997, Ruff left the Corporation Counsel's Office to become White House Counsel to President Clinton, the president's fifth.<ref name="WaPoObit"/> In this role, became best known for skillfully defending Clinton during his 1999 impeachment trial in the Senate, which ended in the president's acquittal.<ref name="NYTObit"/> Ruff was one of five defense attorneys who represented Clinton; the others were [[Gregory B. Craig]], [[Cheryl D. Mills]], [[David E. Kendall]], and [[Dale Bumpers]].<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/defense.htm Defense Who's Who], ''Washington Post'' (January 19, 1999).</ref> According to his ''Washington Post'' obituary, "within the White House, Mr. Ruff was not seen as an obvious team player. He refrained from freely dispensing information to those who did not absolutely need to know the president's legal strategy."<ref name="WaPoObit"/> Ruff particularly clashed with Craig, who had been brought on by the White House specifically as the "quarterback" for the impeachment defense strategy; "each man behaved as if he were the one in charge" and the two had different professional styles.<ref name="Grove">Lloyd Grove & John F. Harris, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/craig111998.htm Crisis Quarterback: Gregory Craig Is Calling the Plays On Clinton's Team], ''Washington Post'' (November 19, 1998), D01.</ref>


In the summer of 1999, Ruff rejoined Covington & Burling, where he remained for the rest of his life; at the time of his death, Ruff was a senior partner.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/>
In the summer of 1999, Ruff rejoined Covington & Burling, where he remained for the rest of his life; at the time of his death, Ruff was a senior partner.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/>


==Death==
==Death==
Ruff died on November 19, 2000, at the [[District of Columbia General Hospital]], at the age of 61, following a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] suffered at his home.<ref name="NYTObit"/> At the time of his death, Ruff was part of [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Al Gore]]'s legal team in the [[Florida recount]] case.<ref name="Becker"/> Ruff was survived by his wife of 38 years, Susan (Sue) Willis Ruff, as well as his mother, two daughters, two granddaughters, and a half-sister, Carla Ruff.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/>
Ruff died on November 19, 2000, at the District of Columbia General Hospital, at the age of 61, following a heart attack suffered at his home.<ref name="NYTObit"/> At the time of his death, Ruff was part of Vice President Al Gore's legal team in the Florida recount case.<ref name="Becker"/> Ruff was survived by his wife of 38 years, Susan (Sue) Willis Ruff, as well as his mother, two daughters, two granddaughters, and a half-sister, Carla Ruff.<ref name="NYTObit"/><ref name="WaPoObit"/>


On his death, his ''New York Times'' obituary described him as "one of Washington's most influential if least self-important lawyers."<ref name="NYTObit"/>
On his death, his ''New York Times'' obituary described him as "one of Washington's most influential if least self-important lawyers."<ref name="NYTObit"/>


==Honors==
==Honors==
On January 8, 2001, Ruff was posthumously awarded the [[Presidential Citizens Medal]] by President Clinton.<ref>[http://clinton6.nara.gov/2001/01/2001-01-05-president-clinton-recipients-of-presidential-citizens-medal.html President Clinton Announces Recipients of Presidential Citizens Medals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805211909/http://clinton6.nara.gov/2001/01/2001-01-05-president-clinton-recipients-of-presidential-citizens-medal.html |date=2016-08-05 }}, [[White House Office of the Press Secretary]] (January 5, 2001).</ref>
On January 8, 2001, Ruff was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Clinton.<ref>[http://clinton6.nara.gov/2001/01/2001-01-05-president-clinton-recipients-of-presidential-citizens-medal.html President Clinton Announces Recipients of Presidential Citizens Medals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805211909/http://clinton6.nara.gov/2001/01/2001-01-05-president-clinton-recipients-of-presidential-citizens-medal.html |date=2016-08-05 }}, White House Office of the Press Secretary (January 5, 2001).</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 80: Line 53:


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/rufftext011999.htm Text of Ruff's opening argument for the defense] in the Clinton impeachment trial, ''[[Congressional Record]]'' (January 19, 1999)
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/rufftext011999.htm Text of Ruff's opening argument for the defense] in the Clinton impeachment trial, ''Congressional Record'' (January 19, 1999)
 
{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before=Earl J. Silbert}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Attorney for the District of Columbia]]|years=1979–1981}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Stanley S. Harris]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Benjamin Civiletti]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Deputy Attorney General]]<br>Acting|years=1979–1980}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charles Byron Renfrew|Charles B. Renfrew]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Jack Quinn (lawyer)|Jack Quinn]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[White House Counsel]]|years=1998–1999}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Beth Nolan]]}}
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{{White House Counsels}}
{{Special Prosecutors and Independent Counsels of the U.S.}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruff, Charles}}
[[Category:Clinton Impeachment Defense Team|Ruff]]
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:American people with disabilities]]
[[Category:Clinton administration personnel]]
[[Category:Columbia Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Clinton–Lewinsky scandal]]
[[Category:Phillips Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Presidential Citizens Medal recipients]]
[[Category:Swarthmore College alumni]]
[[Category:United States Attorneys for the District of Columbia]]
[[Category:United States presidential advisors]]
[[Category:Watergate scandal investigators]]
[[Category:White House Counsels]]
[[Category:District of Columbia Attorneys General]]
[[Category:Special prosecutors]]
[[Category:People associated with Covington & Burling]]

Latest revision as of 13:48, January 25, 2020

Charles Ruff
Charles Ruff.jpg
Alma Mater Columbia University Law School

Charles Frederick Carson Ruff (August 1, 1939 – November 19, 2000) was a prominent American lawyer based in Washington, D.C., and was best known as the White House Counsel who defended President Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial in 1999.

Early life and education[edit | edit source]

Charles Frederick Carson Ruff was born on August 1, 1939, in Cleveland Ohio; he grew up mostly in New York City.[1] Ruff's mother was the public relations director of the Metropolitan Opera, and in an oral history recorded shortly before his death Ruff remembered frequently attending the opera as a child, giving him a lifelong love of music.[2]

Ruff received his B.A. degree from Swarthmore College in 1960 and his J.D. degree from Columbia Law School in 1963.[1][3] Although Ruff ranked twelfth in a class of 235 at Columbia,[3] he later stated that he "absolutely detested law school."[2]

After graduating from law school, Ruff accepted a Ford Foundation fellowship to teach law in Africa.[1] In 1964, while in Liberia, Ruff was sickened with flulike symptoms (a specific diagnosis was never made) and almost died; he became paralyzed in the legs and used a wheelchair for the rest of his life.[1][2][3] Ruff preferred not to discuss his disability, saying only that "law is a sedentary profession."[1][3]

Career[edit | edit source]

Ruff was a research associate at Columbia University's African Law Center and taught at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.[3] He joined the U.S. Department of Justice as a trial lawyer in 1967.[3]

Ruff briefly returned to teaching, spending the 1972-73 academic year at the newly established Antioch School of Law.[2] Ruff then accepted a job at the Georgetown University Law Center and simultaneously at the Justice Department's Watergate Special Prosecution Force, which investigated the Watergate scandal.[2][3] Ruff served in the office from 1973 to 1977. Initially an assistant special prosecutor, Ruff became the fourth and last Watergate special prosecutor, serving from 1976 to 1978; he oversaw the winding-down of the office.[3] As special prosecutor, Ruff also oversaw a three-month campaign-finance investigation of President Gerald R. Ford, who was cleared.[3] During the Watergate years, he also taught at Georgetown University Law Center.

Ruff was chief of the Organized Crime and Labor Management Section of the Criminal Division from 1970 to 1972; in that position, Ruff oversaw the successful prosecution of W.A. "Tony" Boyle, the former head of the United Mine Workers, for illegal campaign contributions.[2][3]

In 1978, Ruff became deputy inspector general of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, investigating Medicare and Medicaid fraud.[3] His nomination was stalled in the Senate for several months by Robert Dole of Kansas.[2] In 1979, Ruff re-joined the Justice Department as acting deputy attorney general; in this role, Ruff was involved in the prosecution of members of Congress implicated in the Abscam scandal.[3]

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter appointed Ruff as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia; he held that job until 1981.[3] Ruff was considered exceptionally qualified for the post,[2] although some African American leaders expressed disappointment that a black lawyer had not been chosen.[3] As U.S. Attorney, Ruff played a "minor legal role" in the case of John W. Hinckley, Jr.'s attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan and the assassination of Orlando Letelier.[3]

In 1982, Ruff joined the Washington law firm of Covington & Burling, becoming a partner there.[3] Ruff represented Senator John Glenn in the Keating Five scandal (Glenn was admonished by the Senate Ethics Committee] and defended Senator Charles S. Robb against charges of surreptitiously and unlawfully recording, and disseminating, some private conversations of a political rival, Governor L. Douglas Wilder.[1][3] In the Robb case, Ruff devised "a masterful and successful strategy": he persuaded his client to appear for a second time before the grand jury "and then introduced a Justice Department official to instruct the jury that it was not legally bound to follow prosecutors' recommendations for an indictment."[3]

From 1989 and 1990, Ruff served a term as president of the District of Columbia Bar.[2]

In 1991, Ruff was part of the legal team representing Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination; Ruff arranged for Hill to take a polygraph test.[1][3]

Ruff was considered by the Clinton administration in 1993 for the post of deputy attorney general, but he was passed over for the position.[3]

Ruff left Covington & Burling in August 1995 to accept an appointment by Mayor Marion Barry to the post of Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia, overseeing 200 city lawyers.[2][3] Ruff was credited with restoring the reputation of the office, which had faced criticism after having been beset with a series of problems.[1][3] Ruff's decision to leave private practice to lead the Corporation Counsel's Office meant an 80% pay cut; Ruff's colleague Lanny A. Breuer stated that Ruff had taken the position because it was the right thing to do.[1]

In February 1997, Ruff left the Corporation Counsel's Office to become White House Counsel to President Clinton, the president's fifth.[3] In this role, became best known for skillfully defending Clinton during his 1999 impeachment trial in the Senate, which ended in the president's acquittal.[1] Ruff was one of five defense attorneys who represented Clinton; the others were Gregory B. Craig, Cheryl D. Mills, David E. Kendall, and Dale Bumpers.[4] According to his Washington Post obituary, "within the White House, Mr. Ruff was not seen as an obvious team player. He refrained from freely dispensing information to those who did not absolutely need to know the president's legal strategy."[3] Ruff particularly clashed with Craig, who had been brought on by the White House specifically as the "quarterback" for the impeachment defense strategy; "each man behaved as if he were the one in charge" and the two had different professional styles.[5]

In the summer of 1999, Ruff rejoined Covington & Burling, where he remained for the rest of his life; at the time of his death, Ruff was a senior partner.[1][3]

Death[edit | edit source]

Ruff died on November 19, 2000, at the District of Columbia General Hospital, at the age of 61, following a heart attack suffered at his home.[1] At the time of his death, Ruff was part of Vice President Al Gore's legal team in the Florida recount case.[2] Ruff was survived by his wife of 38 years, Susan (Sue) Willis Ruff, as well as his mother, two daughters, two granddaughters, and a half-sister, Carla Ruff.[1][3]

On his death, his New York Times obituary described him as "one of Washington's most influential if least self-important lawyers."[1]

Honors[edit | edit source]

On January 8, 2001, Ruff was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Clinton.[6]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Neil A. Lewis, Charles Ruff, White House Counsel Who Defended Clinton in Impeachment, Dies at 61, New York Times (November 21, 2000).
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Daniel Becker, Charles F. C. Ruff: A Legend in the Law, Washington Lawyer (April 2001).
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 Adam Bernstein, Lawyer Charles F.C. Ruff Dies, Washington Post (November 21, 2000).
  4. ↑ Defense Who's Who, Washington Post (January 19, 1999).
  5. ↑ Lloyd Grove & John F. Harris, Crisis Quarterback: Gregory Craig Is Calling the Plays On Clinton's Team, Washington Post (November 19, 1998), D01.
  6. ↑ President Clinton Announces Recipients of Presidential Citizens Medals Archived from the original on 2016-08-05, White House Office of the Press Secretary (January 5, 2001).

External links[edit | edit source]

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