Philip William Buchen (February 27, 1916 – May 21, 2001) was an American attorney who served as

White House counsel The White House counsel is a senior staff appointee of the president of the United States whose role is to advise the president on all legal issues concerning the president and their administration. The White House counsel also oversees the Of ...

during the

Ford Administration Gerald Ford's tenure as the 38th president of the United States began on August 9, 1974, upon the resignation of Richard Nixon from office, and ended on January 20, 1977, a period of days. Ford, a Republican from Michigan, had served as vic ...

Early life and education

Buchen was born in

Sheboygan, Wisconsin Sheboygan () is a city in and the county seat of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populati ...

, the son of State Senator Gustave W. Buchen. In his youth, he contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

and thereafter walked with a cane. He graduated from Sheboygan High School in 1935 and attended the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, where he met Gerald Ford. At Michigan, he was a member of

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fiftee ...

fraternity.

Career

President Ford with Philip Buchen, Counsel to the President, in the Oval Office A5298-8

Buchen opened a law practice in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

with Ford in May 1941. He continued to practice law in Grand Rapids until 1974, when he came to Washington to serve in the Office of the Vice President of the United States. He served as chief White House counsel with Cabinet rank for the duration of Ford's presidency. When Ford left office, Buchen remained in Washington, practicing law with the firm of

Dewey Ballantine Dewey Ballantine LLP was a corporate law firm headquartered in New York City. In 2007, Dewey Ballantine merged with LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae to form Dewey & LeBoeuf. Dewey Ballantine underwent numerous name changes throughout its history a ...

until 1995. Buchen served on the

United States Commission of Fine Arts The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States, and was established in 1910. The CFA has review (but not approval) authority over the "design and aesthetics" of all construction wit ...

from 1977 to 1981.Thomas E. Luebke, ed., ''Civic Art: A Centennial History of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts'' (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 2013): Appendix B, p. 541.

References

External links

The National Security Archive "Wiretap Debate Déjà Vu"
* 1916 births 2001 deaths Ford administration cabinet members White House Counsels University of Michigan Law School alumni People from Sheboygan, Wisconsin 20th-century American lawyers Michigan lawyers Michigan Republicans Washington, D.C., Republicans People with polio {{US-law-bio-stub