John Stanley Pottinger (born February 13, 1940) is an American novelist and lawyer. He previously worked as a banker in the 1980s and served as a political executive known for his appointments involving

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

Early life and education

J. Stanley Pottinger was born in 1940 in Dayton Ohio, to parents Elnora and John Pottinger. He grew up and attended high school in Dayton. Pottinger credits his father John with instilling in him an awareness of civil rights. In 1962, Pottinger graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. He continued his studies at Harvard and graduated with a JD from Harvard Law School in 1965. Pottinger's interest in politics led him to volunteer in 1966 to aid the campaign of Robert H. Finch for lieutenant governor of California. Finch asked him in 1968 to head the Civil Rights Division.

Career

Pottinger held significant roles as a bureaucratic appointee in the

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

and Carter Administrations. He held the position of the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the

Department of Health, Education and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

from 1970 to 1973 and later served as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

from 1973 to 1977. According to journalist

Bob Woodward Robert Upshur Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is an American investigative journalist. He started working for '' The Washington Post'' as a reporter in 1971 and now holds the title of associate editor. While a young reporter for ''The Washingt ...

, Pottinger was the only person who discovered that the true identity of Watergate source Deep Throat was

Mark Felt William Mark Felt Sr. (August 17, 1913 – December 18, 2008) was an American law enforcement officer who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1942 to 1973 and was known for his role in the Watergate scandal. Felt wa ...

. Pottinger maintained the secret until 2005, when Felt publicly declared he was Deep Throat. Pottinger later engaged in a lucrative practice on Wall Street and wrote a best selling book, ''The Fourth Procedure'', as well as three other novels. In 2013, Pottinger was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage during the '' Hollingsworth v. Perry'' case. Pottinger represented more than 20 survivors of

Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American sex offender and financier. Epstein, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, began his professional life by teaching at the Dalton School in Manhattan, des ...

's sexual abuse.

Personal life

Pottinger began dating Gloria Anderson in high school; they married in 1965 and have three children together, including former U.S.

Deputy National Security Advisor The United States Deputy National Security Advisor is a member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and the United States National Security Council, serving under the President's National Security Advisor. Among other res ...

Matt Pottinger. Pottinger and Anderson divorced in 1975. He later had a nine-year relationship with

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Steinem was a c ...

that ended in 1984. Other exes include Kathie Lee Gifford, Connie Chung, and publisher-turned-agent Joni Evans, according to a 1995 profile in ''The Washington Post''.

References

External links

*
Edwards Pottinger Official Website
* 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 1940 births American male novelists Ford administration personnel Harvard Law School alumni Living people New York (state) Republicans Nixon administration personnel Novelists from Ohio Ohio Republicans United States Assistant Attorneys General for the Civil Rights Division Writers from Dayton, Ohio {{US-law-bio-stub