Janet Reno, first female U.S. attorney general, dies at 78
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| Janet Reno, first female U.S. attorney general, dies at 78 |
Janet Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general whose tenure spanned some of the most tumultuous periods in American life, died. She was 78
Her goddaughter, Gabrielle D'Alemberte, told the Associated Press that she died early Monday from complications related to Parkinson's disease
Reno arrived in Washington in 1993 as a relatively unknown prosecutor from Miami — newly-elected President Bill Clinton’s third choice to lead the sprawling Justice Department — whose apolitical ways and hulking physical stature both endeared her to supporters and made her a perennial target of administration critics
The second-longest serving attorney general in history, Reno’s Justice Department was thrust into a nearly unending series of tests, from the government’s deadly raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, and the first World Trade Center attack investigation to the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building and the international custody battle for a Cuban boy named Elian Gonzalez
Her improbable political survival during a grueling eight years in office, while also battling Parkinson’s disease, may be the most striking aspect of her tenure. And her loss brought condolences from the highest levels of government, past and present
"Janet Reno was an American original, a public servant whose intellect, integrity, and fierce commitment to justice helped shape our nation's legal landscape,'' President Obama said in a statement Monday. "Her legacy lives on in a generation of lawyers she inspired, the ordinary lives she touched, and a nation that is more just
Former president Clinton called her "an extraordinary public servant who dedicated her life to advancing justice, equality and innovation in criminal justice that would save and lift lives
Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the first African-American woman to serve as the nation's chief law enforcement officer, said Reno served as "an inspiration and a trailblazer for so many women serving in law enforcement and government, including me
A portrait of Reno hangs in Lynch's fifth-floor conference room
"The Department of Justice has lost one of the most effective, decisive, and well-respected leaders in its proud history,'' Lynch said. "She led the department in a time of turmoil and change, confronting issues ranging from international and domestic terrorism to fair competition in the emerging technology sector.... She never shied from criticism or shirked responsibility, earning her the affection of her subordinates, the respect of her critics, and the esteem of the American people
Former attorney general Eric Holder, who served as Reno's top deputy during part of her tenure, said Reno "stood out as a person of integrity and enduring values.''
"Janet Reno was my colleague, my inspiration and my dear friend,'' Holder said. "Hers was a uniquely American life and was well lived
The daughter of Miami newspaper reporters, Reno was plucked from the trenches of Florida’s criminal justice system only after Clinton’s first two candidates for the job as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer — corporate lawyer Zoe Baird and federal judge Kimba Wood — were upended by questions over payments to nannies
She was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in a 98-0 vote, yet questions about her own readiness for the task came just 38 days into her tenure when the government’s final assault on the Branch Davidian sect, which the new attorney general helped oversee, left 80 people dead in a smoldering ruin
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| Janet Reno, first female U.S. attorney general, dies at 78 |
The botched operation, which Reno would later describe as her worst moment in office, brought calls for her resignation, which she offered, though it was rejected by Clinton
The stunning bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, then-the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, would follow two years later, plunging the nation into an examination of a largely unseen threat from an anti-government movement roiling within the country
Born in 1938 in Miami, Reno gained a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in 1960 before attending Harvard Law School
Reno, who stood more than 6 feet tall, said she wanted to become a lawyer “because I didn’t want people to tell me what to do
