---
alias:
- Richard G. Kleindienst
born: 1923-08-05
category: Law Enforcement & Legal
created: 2026-09-21
died: 2000-02-03
location: Prescott, Arizona
summary: Deputy attorney general and then attorney general under Nixon, sworn in five
  days before the Watergate break-in, who pleaded guilty in 1974 to not answering
  the Senate fully about the ITT antitrust settlement.
tags:
- Person
- RichardKleindienst
- DepartmentOfJustice
- Watergate
- ITT
- Arizona
- HuntFamily
updated: 2026-09-21
---

Richard Kleindienst was born at Winslow, Arizona, on August 5, 1923, attended the University of Arizona, and was an early supporter of Barry Goldwater. He ran for governor of Arizona in 1964 against Sam Goddard. After [Richard Nixon](/people/richard-nixon/)'s election he became deputy attorney general under John Mitchell, and attorney general five days before the [Watergate](/events/watergate/) break-in of June 1972.[^1]

### ITT

At his confirmation hearings in 1972 the Senate asked him about the settlement of the [Justice Department](/organizations/department-of-justice/)'s antitrust cases against the [International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation](/organizations/itt-corporation/). "In 1974, Kleindienst pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge after he was accused by the Watergate special prosecutor of failing to fully testify at his Senate confirmation hearing." He said: "I was wrong in not having been more candid with the committee and I sincerely regret it."[^1]

### The Hunts

"Nelson Bunker and his father met President Nixon at the celebrated barbecue at [John Connally](/people/john-connally/)'s Floresville ranch in the autumn of 1972. Soon after, [Nelson Bunker](/people/nelson-bunker-hunt/) huddled with Richard Kleindienst, then the new boss of the Justice Department, at the plantation of Mississippi Senator [James Eastland](/people/james-eastland/)." The [Hunt brothers](/people/hunt-brothers/) were indicted for wiretapping their father's employees "only after a curiously long time lag," and a Dallas grand jury later investigated the three-year delay. The account of the meeting came from Hunt sources.[^2]

### Arizona

In Tucson "he was accused and acquitted of lying under oath during an investigation by the State Bar of Arizona for his role in a 1976 scam to siphon money from the Teamsters Union Health and Welfare Fund. The Arizona Supreme Court later suspended him from practicing law for one year." He died at Prescott on February 3, 2000.[^1]

[^1]: Volante, Enric. "Kleindienst, Watergate figure, dies at 76," *Arizona Daily Star,* February 2000.
[^2]: Porterfield, Bill. "H.L. Hunt's Long Goodbye," *Texas Monthly,* March 1975.