Egil Krogh
Encyclopedia
Egil “Bud” Krogh, Jr. is an American lawyer who became famous as an official of the Richard Nixon
administration, and who was imprisoned for his part in the Watergate scandal
.
, Illinois
and raised in Seattle, Washington; his father was a Norwegian
immigrant. He graduated with highest honors from Principia College
, Elsah, Illinois
in 1961. After service in the U.S. Navy as a communications officer aboard USS Yorktown
(1962–1965), he graduated from the University of Washington School of Law
in 1968.
law firm of family friend John Ehrlichman
, and joined Ehrlichman in the counsel's office of Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign. After Nixon was elected, Krogh helped with the arrangements for the inauguration
. Krogh joined the Nixon White House
as an advisor on the District of Columbia and later served as liaison to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
. It was there he met G. Gordon Liddy
.
to the White House on December 21, 1970. Elvis had arrived at the gate with a letter for President Nixon requesting a personal meeting about how he could help the government fight the drug trade. The meeting took place and Nixon gave Presley an actual narcotics agent badge. Krogh wrote a book about these events The Day Elvis met Nixon (Pejama Press, 1994) ISBN 0-9640251-0-8.
"-- a secret team of operatives charged with fixing "leaks." It was an unlikely choice: Krogh had a reputation as someone who obeyed the law so scrupulously that his friends gave him the ironic nickname "Evil Krogh". Theodore White
would write "to put Egil Krogh in charge of a secret police operation was equivalent to making Frank Merriwell
chief executive of a KGB
squad." Krogh brought Liddy into his new office.
When the administration decided to pursue the Pentagon Papers
leakers, it was Krogh who approved the September 1971 burglary of the office of Lewis Fielding, the psychiatrist seeing Daniel Ellsberg
. Liddy and E. Howard Hunt
would commit the actual break-in. Ehrlichman, who himself went to prison for Watergate related crimes, would later write in his memoirs this was an example of "such doubtful personal judgment ... that it has to be said [Krogh] materially contributed to the demise of the Nixon administration."
Krogh's employment with the SIU was terminated when he refused to authorize a wiretap. On November 30, 1973, Krogh pled guilty to federal charges of conspiring to violate Fielding's civil rights and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. He was sentenced to two to six years in prison, though he served only four-and-a-half months.
Krogh was disbarred by the Washington State Supreme Court in 1975. He successfully petitioned, after failing to do so in 1977, to be readmitted to the practice of law, based on his recognition and acceptance of his wrongdoing, in 1980.
He was a partner at Krogh & Leonard in Seattle and currently provides legal, consulting, and mediation services to energy and other clients.
He and his son Matthew Krogh have written the book Integrity: Good People, Bad Choices, and Life Lessons from the White House (Public Affairs, 2007, ISBN 978-1586484675), and he is a frequent lecturer on the topic of legal ethics
, having visited many schools.
His brother-in-law is Peter Horton
, the director and executive producer of the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy
.
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
administration, and who was imprisoned for his part in the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
.
Education
Krogh was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and raised in Seattle, Washington; his father was a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
immigrant. He graduated with highest honors from Principia College
Principia College
Principia College is a four-year private co-educational liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois. The campus sits on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River between Alton and Grafton, located about thirty miles north of St. Louis. In 1934, Principia College graduated its first class as a full...
, Elsah, Illinois
Elsah, Illinois
Elsah is a village in Jersey County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. census, the village had a total population of 673. Cyrus Bunting is the the village's current acting mayor.Elsah is a part of the Metro-East region and the St...
in 1961. After service in the U.S. Navy as a communications officer aboard USS Yorktown
USS Yorktown (CV-10)
USS Yorktown is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. She is named after the Battle of Yorktown of the American Revolutionary War, and is the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name...
(1962–1965), he graduated from the University of Washington School of Law
University of Washington School of Law
The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington.The most recent 2012 U.S...
in 1968.
Legal career
He obtained employment with Hullin, Ehrlichman, Roberts and Hodge, the SeattleSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
law firm of family friend John Ehrlichman
John Ehrlichman
John Daniel Ehrlichman was counsel and Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs under President Richard Nixon. He was a key figure in events leading to the Watergate first break-in and the ensuing Watergate scandal, for which he was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and perjury...
, and joined Ehrlichman in the counsel's office of Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign. After Nixon was elected, Krogh helped with the arrangements for the inauguration
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
. Krogh joined the Nixon White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
as an advisor on the District of Columbia and later served as liaison to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs was a predecessor agency of the Drug Enforcement Administration . It was formed as a subsidiary of the United States Department of Justice in 1968, combining the Bureau of Narcotics and Bureau of Drug Abuse Control The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous...
. It was there he met G. Gordon Liddy
G. Gordon Liddy
George Gordon Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency. Separately, along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in...
.
Elvis
Because of his work regarding illegal drugs, he managed the visit of Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
to the White House on December 21, 1970. Elvis had arrived at the gate with a letter for President Nixon requesting a personal meeting about how he could help the government fight the drug trade. The meeting took place and Nixon gave Presley an actual narcotics agent badge. Krogh wrote a book about these events The Day Elvis met Nixon (Pejama Press, 1994) ISBN 0-9640251-0-8.
SIU
Ehrlichman made Krogh head of the "Special Investigation Unit" in the White House, charged with investigating information given covertly to the press by administration staffers. Krogh and his associates were known familiarly as the "PlumbersWhite House Plumbers
The White House Plumbers, sometimes simply called the Plumbers, were a covert White House Special Investigations Unit established July 24, 1971 during the presidency of Richard Nixon. Its task was to stop the leaking of classified information to the news media...
"-- a secret team of operatives charged with fixing "leaks." It was an unlikely choice: Krogh had a reputation as someone who obeyed the law so scrupulously that his friends gave him the ironic nickname "Evil Krogh". Theodore White
Theodore H. White
Theodore Harold White was an American political journalist, historian, and novelist, known for his wartime reporting from China and accounts of the 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1980 presidential elections.-Life and career:...
would write "to put Egil Krogh in charge of a secret police operation was equivalent to making Frank Merriwell
Frank Merriwell
Frank Merriwell is a fictional character appearing in a series of novels and short stories by Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the pseudonym Burt L. Standish...
chief executive of a KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
squad." Krogh brought Liddy into his new office.
When the administration decided to pursue the Pentagon Papers
Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon Papers, officially titled United States – Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense, is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States' political-military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967...
leakers, it was Krogh who approved the September 1971 burglary of the office of Lewis Fielding, the psychiatrist seeing Daniel Ellsberg
Daniel Ellsberg
Daniel Ellsberg, PhD, is a former United States military analyst who, while employed by the RAND Corporation, precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret Pentagon study of U.S. government decision-making in relation to the Vietnam War,...
. Liddy and E. Howard Hunt
E. Howard Hunt
Everette Howard Hunt, Jr. was an American intelligence officer and writer. Hunt served for many years as a CIA officer. Hunt, with G...
would commit the actual break-in. Ehrlichman, who himself went to prison for Watergate related crimes, would later write in his memoirs this was an example of "such doubtful personal judgment ... that it has to be said [Krogh] materially contributed to the demise of the Nixon administration."
Krogh's employment with the SIU was terminated when he refused to authorize a wiretap. On November 30, 1973, Krogh pled guilty to federal charges of conspiring to violate Fielding's civil rights and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. He was sentenced to two to six years in prison, though he served only four-and-a-half months.
Krogh was disbarred by the Washington State Supreme Court in 1975. He successfully petitioned, after failing to do so in 1977, to be readmitted to the practice of law, based on his recognition and acceptance of his wrongdoing, in 1980.
He was a partner at Krogh & Leonard in Seattle and currently provides legal, consulting, and mediation services to energy and other clients.
He and his son Matthew Krogh have written the book Integrity: Good People, Bad Choices, and Life Lessons from the White House (Public Affairs, 2007, ISBN 978-1586484675), and he is a frequent lecturer on the topic of legal ethics
Legal ethics
Legal ethics encompasses an ethical code governing the conduct of persons engaged in the practice of law and persons more generally in the legal sector.-In the United States:...
, having visited many schools.
His brother-in-law is Peter Horton
Peter Horton
Peter Horton is an American actor and director. He played the role of Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething until 1991.-Early life:...
, the director and executive producer of the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
.