William Bart Saxbe served as U.S. attorney general from 1974 to 1975 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Saxbe joined the Nixon administration at a time when the Congress and the American people had begun to question Nixon's claim that he had nothing to do with the Watergate scandal.

Saxbe was born on June 24, 1916 in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1940. He served in the Army Air Force during World War II and was later recalled to military service in 1951 during the Korean War. After World War II, Saxbe considered a career in the ministry of the Episcopal Church but instead entered law school at Ohio State University. While a law student, Saxbe launched his political career in the Republican Party. He was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1946 and reelected three times. He served a majority leader before becoming speaker of the...