Henry Swartley "Hank" Ruth Jr. (April 16, 1931 – March 16, 2012), was an American lawyer who served as the third special prosecutor during the Watergate Scandal.
[7] He joined the United States Department of Justice in 1961, initially working in Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy's new organized crime section.
Their work resulted in the indictment of Reading, Pennsylvania's mayor (John C. Kubacki) and chief of police (Charles S.
[2] After that, he served as the criminal justice coordinator for New York City as part of the administration of Mayor John V.
[1][2] He became second in command of the Justice Department's special prosecutor's office when it was founded in May 1973, working under Archibald Cox.
[1][2] On October 20, 1973, called the Saturday Night Massacre, Cox was dismissed by President Richard Nixon after he requested recordings of White House conversations linked to the Watergate scandal.
[1][2] That same night, FBI agents met Ruth at the entrance to the special prosecutor's office, saying it was abolished.
[1][2] Ruth said later, "It was pretty clear to us that this act of trying to abolish our office, firing Mr. Cox, was just a straight obstruction of justice.
[1][2] Jaworski resigned in October, and President Gerald Ford appointed Ruth as the special prosecutor for Watergate.
[1] At that time he submitted a 277-page Watergate Investigation report, stating that 55 individuals and 20 corporations had been convicted or plead guilty to date.
[1] In columns in The Wall Street Journal in the 1990s, he criticized President Bill Clinton for "presidential perjury and obstruction.