John Stanley Pottinger ( ; February13, 1940November27, 2024) was an American novelist and lawyer. In the 1970s, he held federal offices involved with

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

enforcement. He also worked as a banker in the 1980s.

Early life and education

John Stanley Pottinger was born on February13, 1940, in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, to parents Elnora (née Zeller) 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 university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, and he continued his studies at Harvard and graduated with a JD from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

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 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...

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 US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Im ...

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 United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

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 honorific title of associate editor though the Post no longer employs ...

, Pottinger was the only person who discovered that the true identity of

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Nixon's resignation in 1974, in August of that year. It revol ...

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 was ...

. Pottinger maintained the secret until 2005, when Felt publicly declared he was Deep Throat. Pottinger later engaged in a lucrative practice on

Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...

and wrote a best selling book, ''The Fourth Procedure'' (1995), as well as several other novels, including ''A Slow Burning'' (1999), ''The Last Nazi'' (2003) and ''The Boss'' (2005). In 2013, Pottinger was a signatory to an

amicus curiae An amicus curiae (; ) is an individual or organization that is not a Party (law), party to a legal case, but that is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. Wheth ...

brief submitted to the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

in support of same-sex marriage during the ''

Hollingsworth v. Perry ''Hollingsworth v. Perry'' was a series of United States federal court cases that reinstated same-sex marriage in the state of California. The case began in 2009 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, which found that ...

'' case. Pottinger represented more than 20 survivors of

Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( , ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American financier and child sex offender. Born and raised in New York City, Epstein began his professional career as a teacher at the Dalton School, despite lacking a col ...

's sexual abuse.

Personal life and death

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 (United States), N ...

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 movement, 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. ...

that ended in 1984. Other exes include Kathie Lee Gifford,

Connie Chung Constance Yu-Hwa Chung Povich (née Chung; born August 20, 1946) is an American journalist who has been a news anchor and reporter for the U.S. television news networks American Broadcasting Company, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC. Some of her m ...

, and publisher-turned-agent Joni Evans, according to a 1995 profile in ''The Washington Post''. Pottinger died from cancer in

Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

, on November 27, 2024, at the age of 84.

Books

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References

External links

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Profile
at the Edwards Pottinger official website (archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Pottinger, John Stanley 1940 births 2024 deaths 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 American male novelists Deaths from cancer in New Jersey Ford administration personnel Harvard Law School alumni 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