William Saxbe, attorney general in Nixon administration and former US Senator from Ohio, dies

William Saxbe, attorney general under Nixon, dies

COLUMBUS, Ohio — William Saxbe (SAX’-bee), the fourth attorney general in Richard Nixon’s administration who served during the investigation of the Watergate break-in, has died at his home in Ohio.

His son Charles “Rocky” Saxbe says his father died Tuesday afternoon in Mechanicsburg. He was 94.

Saxbe was a lame-duck one-term U.S. senator and former Ohio attorney general when Nixon nominated him in the aftermath of Watergate. His first two attorneys general were accused of crimes related to Watergate and its cover-up attempts, and the third resigned to protest Nixon’s efforts to limit the investigation.

Saxbe’s first mission when he took office in January 1974 was to convince the public and the White House that he would not interfere with the independent Watergate prosecutor.