Robert C. Odle, Jr. (February 15, 1944 – October 2, 2019) was a public official in the

Nixon Administration Richard Nixon's tenure as the 37th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1969, and ended when he resigned on August 9, 1974, in the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from office, the ...

and

Reagan Administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following his landslide victory over ...

and an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

lawyer, based in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Early life

Odle was born in

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michigan, United States. The population was 28,983 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the west by Port Huron Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Po ...

(February 15, 1944) and earned a bachelor's degree from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

in 1966. He then enrolled at the

Detroit College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, it was the f ...

(now

Michigan State University College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a Public university, public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College o ...

), earning his J.D. in 1969.

Politics and government service

Odle worked on the Nixon campaign in 1968, while still in law school, and after graduation in 1969 he joined the staff of White House communications director Herb Klein. He left the White House for the 1972 presidential campaign, serving as Director of Administration of the

Committee to Re-Elect the President A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

. In President Nixon's second term, Odle was appointed deputy assistant secretary for the

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the secretary of housing and ur ...

. Because of his role in the 1972 re-election campaign, Odle became a witness before the Watergate Committee, testifying as the first witness on the first day of televised hearings on May 17, 1973. In his testimony, he praised President Nixon and the "million volunteers across the country” and most of the 400 in the re-election committee headquarters who had nothing to do with Watergate, including himself. He also testified about contact he had with James McCord,

Jeb Stuart Magruder Jeb Stuart Magruder (November 5, 1934May 11, 2014) was an American businessman and high-level political operative in the Republican Party who served time in prison for his role in the Watergate scandal. He served President Richard Nixon in vari ...

, and

G. Gordon Liddy George Gordon Battle Liddy (November 30, 1930 – March 30, 2021) was an American lawyer and FBI agent who was convicted of conspiracy, burglary, and illegal wiretapping for his role in the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration. Work ...

, and particularly

H. R. Haldeman Harry Robbins "Bob" Haldeman (October 27, 1926 – November 12, 1993) was an American political aide and businessman, best known for his service as White House Chief of Staff to President Richard Nixon and his consequent involvement in the Water ...

and

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

John N. Mitchell John Newton Mitchell (September 5, 1913 – November 9, 1988) was the 67th attorney general of the United States, serving under President Richard Nixon and was chairman of Nixon's 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns. Prior to that, he had been ...

. In 1981, Odle was nominated by

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

to be the Assistant Secretary for Congressional, Intergovernmental and Public Affairs at the

U.S. Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear we ...

. He was confirmed by the Senate and served in this role until 1985.

Private practice

Between 1976 and 1981, Odle worked for the

International Paper Company The International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 39,000 employees, and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. History The company was incorporated January 31 ...

as Washington corporate affairs representative. In 1985, Odle joined the

office of the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP, where he became a partner and represented clients before Congress and federal agencies. He retired in 2015, after 30 years with the firm. Odle served as pro-bono general counsel for the

Richard Nixon Foundation The Richard Nixon Foundation is a not-for-profit organization based at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California. It was founded on January 24, 1983 by Richard Nixon, 37th president of the United States, and ser ...

. He was also active in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington The Diocese of Arlington () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Virginia in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The Cathedral of St. Thomas More is the ...

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...

, and the

Federalist Society The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies (FedSoc) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative and Libertarianism in the United States, libertarian legal organization that advocates for a Textualism, textualist an ...

Family

Odle married his wife, Lydia Ann (Karpinol) Odle, in 1969. They moved to

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

in 1972 and adopted their son, John Paul, from Russia in 1994. Odle died from cancer on October 2, 2019, at his home in Alexandria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odle, Robert C., Jr. 1944 births 2019 deaths American lawyers Detroit College of Law alumni Nixon administration personnel Reagan administration personnel Wayne State University alumni