By Steve Neavling
Former Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti, who served under President Jimmy Carter, died on Sunday at his home in Lutherville, Md.
He was 87.
The cause was complications from Parkinson’s, his wife, Gaile Civiletti, told The New York Times.
Civiletti may be best known for advising Carter during the Iranian hostage crisis.
For most of Carter’s one term as president, Civiletti served in top positions at the Justice Department. He began as a top assistant in charge of the criminal division in 1977, then as deputy attorney general from 1978 to 1979, and finally as attorney general from 1979 to 1981.
He prosecuted racketeers, public corruption, white-collar crime and drug trafficking and advocated for civil rights, environmental protections and prison reform.
Three months after becoming attorney general, Civiletti advised Carter after 52 Americans were taken hostage from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, who served as special assistant to Civiletti from 1979 to 1981, said he was “saddened to learn of the passing of” Civiletti.
“Among many other achievements during his tenure, Attorney General Civiletti continued the work begun by his predecessors, Attorneys General Edward Levi and Griffin Bell, in the wake of Watergate to restore public trust in the Department of Justice,” Garland said in a statement. “Attorney General Civiletti wrote into policy the norms established to ensure the Department’s independence, fair application of our laws, and adherence to the Rule of Law. Today, thanks in large part to him, those norms continue to guide the work of every Justice Department employee, every single day.
He added, “Attorney General Civiletti’s portrait hangs outside my office, and I am reminded each time I see it of the kind of Attorney General I strive to be. Attorney General Civiletti’s dedication to the Justice Department, his work, and his life will continue to be an inspiration for generations of public servants to come.”
