Vince Foster

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}}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#if:||{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}}}} }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox officeholder with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| regexp1 = 1blankname[%d]* | regexp2 = 1namedata[%d]* | regexp3 = 2blankname[%d]* | regexp4 = 2namedata[%d]* | regexp5 = 3blankname[%d]* | regexp6 = 3namedata[%d]* | regexp7 = 4blankname[%d]* | regexp8 = 4namedata[%d]* | regexp9 = 5blankname[%d]* | regexp10 = 5namedata[%d]* | allegiance | alma_mater | regexp11 = alongside[%d]* | alt | regexp12 = ambassador_from[%d]* | regexp13 = appointed[%d]* | regexp14 = appointer[%d]* | regexp15 = assembly[%d]* | awards | battles | battles_label | birth_date | birth_name | birth_place | birthname | regexp16 = blank[%d]* | bodyclass | branch | branch_label | cabinet | candidate | caption | categories | regexp17 = chancellor[%d]* | children | citizenship | regexp18 = co%-leader[%d]* | commands | committees | regexp19 = constituency[%d]* | regexp20 = constituency_AM[%d]* | regexp21 = constituency_MP[%d]* | regexp22 = convocation[%d]* | regexp23 = country[%d]* | regexp24 = data[%d]* | date | death_cause | death_date | death_manner | death_place | demo | regexp25 = deputy[%d]* | regexp26 = district[%d]* | education | election_date | embed | father | regexp28 = firstminister[%d]* | footnotes | regexp29 = governor[%d]* | regexp30 = governor_general[%d]* | regexp31 = governor%-general[%d]* | height | honorific_prefix | honorific-prefix | honorific_suffix | honorific-suffix | image | image name | image_name_alt | image_size | imagesize | image_upright | incumbent | regexp32 = jr/sr[%d]* | regexp33 = jr/sr and state[%d]* | known_for | regexp34 = leader[%d]* | regexp35 = legislature[%d]* | regexp36 = lieutenant[%d]* | regexp37 = lieutenant_governor[%d]* | mainwidth | regexp38 = majority[%d]* | regexp39 = majority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp40 = majority_leader[%d]* | regexp41 = majorityleader[%d]* | mawards | regexp42 = military_blank[%d]* | regexp43 = military_data[%d]* | regexp44 = minister[%d]* | regexp45 = minister_from[%d]* | regexp46 = minority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp47 = minority_leader[%d]* | regexp48 = minorityleader[%d]* | regexp49 = module[%d]* | regexp50 = monarch[%d]* | mother | name | nationality | native_name | native_name_lang | nickname | nocat | regexp51 = nominator[%d]* | nominee | occupation | regexp52 = office[%d]* | opponent | regexp53 = order[%d]* | otherparty | parents | regexp54 = parliament[%d]* | regexp55 = parliamentarygroup[%d]* | partner | party | party_election | portfolio | regexp56 = preceded[%d]* | regexp57 = preceding[%d]* | regexp58 = predecessor[%d]* | regexp59 = premier[%d]* | regexp60 = president[%d]* | regexp61 = primeminister[%d]* | regexp62 = prior_term[%d]* | profession | pronunciation | rank | rank_label | relations | relatives | residence | resting_place | resting_place_coordinates | restingplace | restingplacecoordinates | regexp63 = riding[%d]* | runningmate | salary | serviceyears | serviceyears_label | signature | signature_alt | signature_size | smallimage | smallimage_alt | source | speaker | speaker_office | spouse | spouses | regexp64 = state[%d]* | regexp65 = state_assembly[%d]* | regexp66 = state_delegate[%d]* | regexp67 = state_house[%d]* | regexp68 = state_legislature[%d]* | regexp69 = state_senate[%d]* | regexp70 = status[%d]* | regexp71 = suboffice[%d]* | regexp72 = subterm[%d]* | regexp73 = succeeded[%d]* | regexp74 = succeeding[%d]* | regexp75 = successor[%d]* | regexp76 = taoiseach[%d]* | regexp77 = term[%d]* | regexp78 = term_end[%d]* | regexp79 = term_label[%d]* | regexp80 = term_start[%d]* | regexp81 = termend[%d]* | regexp82 = termlabel[%d]* | regexp83 = termstart[%d]* | regexp84 = title[%d]* | unit | unit_label | regexp85 = vicegovernor[%d]* | regexp86 = vicepremier[%d]* | regexp87 = vicepresident[%d]* | regexp88 = viceprimeminister[%d]* | regexp89 = assuming[%d]* | website | width | year }} Vincent Walker Foster Jr. (January 15, 1945 – July 20, 1993) was an American attorney who served as deputy White House counsel during the first six months of the Clinton administration.

Foster had been a partner at Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas, where, as The Washington Post later wrote, he rose to "the pinnacle of the Arkansas legal establishment." At the White House, he was unhappy with work in politics and spiraled into depression, and in July 1993, he was found dead of a gunshot wound in Fort Marcy Park. Five official governmental investigations ruled his death a suicide, but several conspiracy theories emerged.

Early life and educationEdit

Foster was born in Hope, Arkansas, to Vincent W. Foster Sr. and Alice Mae Foster (1914–2012).<ref name="starr-bio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His father became a successful real estate developer.<ref name="nykr-boyer">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="moldea"/> Vincent had two sisters, Sheila and Sharon.<ref name="starr-bio"/>

Vincent was a childhood friend of Bill Clinton, then known as Billy Blythe.<ref name="k-r-stunned"/> Clinton, a year and a half younger than Foster, resided in an adjoining property to Foster's<ref name="k-r-stunned"/> with his grandparents while his mother was often away studying nursing.<ref name="maraniss"/> Clinton later recalled, "I lived with my grandparents in a modest little house across from Vince Foster's nice, big, white brick house."<ref name="k-r-stunned"/> Another Clinton recollection was that Foster "was kind to me and never lorded it over me the way so many older boys did with younger ones."<ref name="bill-15">Template:Cite book</ref> Another childhood friend was Mack McLarty, who would one day become White House Chief of Staff for Clinton.<ref name="wapo-dvd">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1950, Clinton's mother remarried and they relocated to a different part of Hope.<ref name="maraniss"/> By several accounts, Foster and Clinton attended Miss Marie Purkins' School for Little Folks together, a private kindergarten,<ref name="cbf-1st"/><ref name="eahc"/> although Foster was a year ahead in school. Then, around late 1952, the Clintons moved away to Hot Springs.<ref name="maraniss">Template:Cite book</ref> However, Clinton would often return to visit his grandparents in Hope during summers, weekends, and holidays and he maintained connections with the people there.<ref name="cbf-1st">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Foster excelled as a student and athlete.<ref name="k-r-stunned"/> At Hope High School, he became president of the student council, with McLarty serving as vice president.<ref name="wapo-dvd"/> He graduated from Hope High School in 1963.<ref name="starr-bio"/>

Foster attended Davidson College, graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1967.<ref name="moldea"/><ref name="eahc">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> His father wanted him to join the family real estate business, but instead, he opted to attend law school.<ref name="nykr-boyer"/>

After starting at Vanderbilt University Law School, he joined the Arkansas National Guard during the height of the Vietnam War<ref name="nykr-boyer"/> to avoid the military draft.<ref name="moldea"/> To be closer to his guard responsibilities, he transferred to the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, Arkansas,<ref name="nykr-boyer"/> where he was managing editor of the law review.<ref name="starr-bio"/> He received his Juris Doctor in 1971, graduating first in his class.<ref name="nykr-boyer"/> He scored the highest in his class on the Arkansas bar exam.<ref name="nykr-boyer"/>

Marriage and familyEdit

Foster met Elizabeth Braden, known as Lisa, during his sophomore year at Davidson; she was the daughter of an insurance broker from Nashville and was attending Sweet Briar College.<ref name="nykr-boyer" /> They married on April 20, 1968, at St. Henry Catholic Church in Nashville.<ref name="nykr-boyer" /> They had three children: Vincent III, Laura, and John.<ref name="nykr-boyer" /><ref>Template:Cite book p. 423.</ref>

CareerEdit

Lawyer in ArkansasEdit

In 1971, Foster joined Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas,<ref name="lh">Hillary Rodham Clinton, Living History, Simon & Schuster, 2003, Template:ISBN, pp. 78–81.</ref> and in 1974 was made partner,<ref name="starr-bio"/> one of only nine in the firm at the time.<ref name="bernstein-book"/> He was the head of the Arkansas Bar Association committee that oversaw legal aid, and as such worked with legal aid clinic worker Hillary Rodham in successfully overcoming an unreasonable measuring requirement for indigent clients.<ref name="lh"/> Foster then initiated the hiring of Rodham at Rose Law Firm, where she became its first ever female associate<ref name="lh"/> (and later first female partner); Foster and fellow partner Webster Hubbell were instrumental in overcoming the reluctance of other partners to hire a woman.<ref name="bernstein-book">Template:Cite book</ref> The hiring occurred soon after Bill Clinton was elected attorney general of Arkansas, which led Clinton and Rodham to move from Fayetteville to Little Rock.<ref name="bernstein-book"/> Foster and Rodham worked together on a number of cases.<ref name="eahc"/> And as Bill Clinton's political career gained force, Foster supported him.<ref name="bill-15"/> They were also personal friends and Foster was the one who taught their daughter Chelsea Clinton how to swim.<ref name="bill-15"/>

File:RoseLawFirmRearCorner2008.jpg

Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, where Foster worked for two decades

Foster practiced mostly corporate law,<ref name="nyt082293">Template:Cite news</ref> eventually earning nearly $300,000 a year.<ref name="nyt082293"/> Known for his extensive preparation of cases ahead of time, including the creation of decision trees,<ref name="wapo-dvd"/> Foster developed a reputation as one of the best trial litigators in Arkansas.<ref name="eahc"/> Hillary Rodham Clinton's memoir calls Foster "one of the best lawyers I've ever known," and compared him in style and substance to Gregory Peck's portrayal of Atticus Finch in the classic 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird.<ref name="lh"/> In Bill Clinton's memoir, he characterizes Foster as "a tall, handsome, wise, good man."<ref name="bill-15"/> Writer Carl Bernstein has described Foster as "tall, with impeccable manners and a formal mien ... elegant in perfectly tailored suits, and soft-spoken to the point of taciturnity."<ref name="bernstein-book"/> Writer Dan Moldea characterized him as "a 'can-do' lawyer who worked best when under pressure."<ref name="moldea"/> Phillip Carroll, the leading litigator at Rose Law Firm, once said of Foster, "He was my ideal of a young lawyer."<ref name="abaj"/> The ABA Journal reported that Foster was "acknowledged by many as the soul of the firm".<ref name="abaj">Template:Cite news</ref>

He appeared to experience only success at Rose Law; a partner later said, "I never saw a professional setback. Never. Not even a tiny one."<ref name="nyt082293"/> The firm grew five times its size during his time there.<ref name="wapo-dvd"/> The Arkansas Bar Association gave him a number of awards<ref name="k-r-stunned">Template:Cite news</ref> and in June 1993 would name him as its Outstanding Lawyer of the Year.<ref name="moldea">Template:Cite book</ref> He was also listed in the Best Lawyers in America book.<ref name="wapo-dvd"/> His wife Lisa described him as driven to prevail, staying up around the clock to prepare for big cases, believing he would lose the case even though he rarely did; she later viewed this as an early sign of depressed behavior.<ref name="nykr-boyer"/>

By 1992, Vince Foster was, as The Washington Post later wrote, at "the pinnacle of the Arkansas legal establishment."<ref name="wapo070194">Template:Cite news</ref> He was also an established figure in Little Rock society, serving as the chair of the board of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and belonging to the exclusive Country Club of Little Rock.<ref name="wapo-dvd"/>

White House counselEdit

After Clinton's 1992 election, Foster joined Clinton's presidential transition team.<ref name="wapo-dvd" /> Once Clinton was inaugurated, Foster joined his White House staff as Deputy White House Counsel in early 1993.<ref name="starr-bio" /> This was despite Foster's initial reluctance to leave his Little Rock life behind and come to Washington.<ref name="nykr-boyer" /><ref name="wapo-dvd" /> There he worked under the White House Counsel, Bernard W. Nussbaum, although Nussbaum would consider the pair to be "co-senior partners".<ref name="wapo-dvd" /> He was also joined with two other Rose Law Firm partners, William H. Kennedy, III, who served as his associate counsel, and Webster Hubbell, who became Associate Attorney General.<ref name="salon-rl">Template:Cite news</ref> The Foster residence was a small rented house in Georgetown in Washington, D.C.<ref name="wapo-dvd" />

Foster had difficulty making the transition to life and politics in Washington.<ref name="wapo070194" /> Unlike some other Clinton-associated figures, he had no experience with campaigns or electoral politics.<ref name="wapo-dvd" /> His wife and youngest son were not with him, having stayed behind in Arkansas so the son could complete his senior year of high school at Catholic High in Little Rock.<ref name="wapo-dvd" /><ref name="text" /> His initial role was in vetting potential administration appointees.<ref name="wapo-dvd" /> As one subject of the vetting process later said, "I wondered why I was being interviewed by the guy who would be deputy counsel. Seemed his job was to find out how honest I was, and what level of ego I was bringing. It's a measure of how much the Clintons trusted him."<ref name="wapo-dvd" /> But Foster found this involvement in vetting appointments to be causing him depression and anxiety.<ref name="wapo070194" /> In particular, he blamed himself for the failed Zoë Baird nomination;<ref name="wapo070194" /> he had thought that Baird had been justified in following her lawyer's advice regarding the payment of taxes on household employees, but he had failed to anticipate the political backlash that led to it becoming known as "Nannygate" and that blemished the early days of the administration.<ref name="wapo-dvd" /> The equally unsuccessful Kimba Wood and Lani Guinier appointments were also under Foster's purview.<ref name="encyclo-ic" /> He had to resign from the Country Club of Little Rock once its all-white membership became a political issue for others in the administration.<ref name="wapo-dvd" />

As Deputy Counsel, Foster was also involved in a range of other matters, including preparation of executive orders, analyzing the legal effect of various policies, examining international treaties, discussing the ramifications of authorizations for use of military force, and authorizing expenditures within the White House.<ref name="wapo-dvd" /> Foster worked on placing the Clintons' financial holdings into a blind trust.<ref name="wapo-dvd" />

He handled the Clintons' Madison Guaranty and Industrial Development Corporation paperwork<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and also several Whitewater-related tax returns.<ref name="nyt080695">Jeff Gerth and Stephen Labaton, "Whitewater Papers Cast Doubt on Clinton Account of a Tax Underpayment", The New York Times, August 6, 1995. Accessed April 30, 2007.</ref> He worked twelve-hour days, six or seven days a week, and although thin to begin with, began losing weight.<ref name="wapo-dvd"/><ref name="gormley"/>

On May 8, 1993, Foster gave the commencement address at the University of Arkansas Law School, his alma mater, and said:

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One faculty member listening to it recalled telling another that it was "the most depressing graduation speech I had ever heard, in both content and manner."<ref name="gormley"/> A friend of Foster's has said, "Look, it's just crazy, right? You get one dent and it can never be fixed? In Washington, you get them all the time. You get twenty dents and you go to the body shop. Vince couldn't see that, apparently."<ref name="wapo-dvd"/>

Depression and deathEdit

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File:Vince Foster grave IMG 1511.JPG

Grave of Vince Foster at Memory Gardens Cemetery in his boyhood home of Hope

Four days after the commencement speech, the White House travel office controversy erupted.<ref name="text"/><ref name="wapo-dvd"/> Foster was the target of several critical Wall Street Journal editorials in June and July 1993,<ref name="wapo070194"/> with titles such as "Who is Vincent Foster?"<ref name="nyt082293"/> He became quite upset over the travel office matter and the possibility of a congressional hearing<ref name="wapo070194"/> at which he might have been called to testify.<ref name="encyclo-ic"/> Disliking the public spotlight<ref name="nyt082293"/> and having continued weight loss and insomnia,<ref name="wapo070194"/> he considered resigning his position but feared a personal humiliation upon returning to Arkansas.<ref name="wapo070194"/>

Struggling with depression,<ref name="nyt082293"/><ref name="wapo070194"/> which after his death was assessed as clinical depression,<ref name="starr-mind">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Foster was prescribed the anti-depressant medication trazodone over the phone by his Arkansas doctor, starting with a low initial dosage.<ref name="nyt082293"/> The next day, Foster was found dead in Fort Marcy Park, a federal park in Virginia.<ref name="lincstar">Template:Cite news</ref> He was 48 years old.<ref name="lincstar"/> An autopsy determined that he was shot in the mouth and no other wounds were found on his body.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

A draft resignation letter was found torn into 27 pieces in his briefcase. The letter contained a list of grievances, including, "The WSJ editors lie without consequence"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and saying, "I was not meant for the job or the spotlight of public life in Washington. Here ruining people is considered sport."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

His funeral mass was held at the St. Andrew's Cathedral in Little Rock.<ref name="eahc"/> Bill Clinton gave a eulogy in which he recalled their boyhood times together and quoted a line from Leon Russell's "A Song for You": "I love you in a place that has no space and time."<ref name="nyt072493">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Foster was buried in Memory Gardens Cemetery in his hometown of Hope. Foster was survived by his wife and three children.

Subsequent investigationsEdit

Five official or governmental investigations into Foster's death all concluded that he died of suicide.<ref name="Starr">Office of the Independent Counsel. "Report on the Death of Vincent W. Foster, Jr." October 10, 1997</ref>

The first investigation was conducted by the United States Park Police, in whose jurisdiction the death occurred, in 1993.<ref name="starr-background" /> Because of Foster's position in the White House, the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted in the investigation, as did several other state and federal agencies.<ref name="starr-background" /> The result of this investigation was released as a joint report from the Department of Justice, FBI, and the Park Police on August 10, 1993, and it stated: "The condition of the scene, the medical examiner's findings and the information gathered clearly indicate that Mr. Foster committed suicide."<ref name="starr-background">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Investigations by a coroner and Independent Counsel Robert B. Fiske, in a 58-page report released on June 30, 1994, also concluded that Foster's death was a suicide.<ref name="encyclo-ic" /> This report made use of FBI resources and incorporated the views of several experienced pathologists; it concluded: "The overwhelming weight of the evidence compels the conclusion ... that Vincent Foster committed suicide in Fort Marcy Park on July 20, 1993."<ref name="starr-background" />
A pair of investigations by the U.S. Congress found that Foster died of suicide:<ref name="encyclo-ic">Gerald S. Greenberg, Historical Encyclopedia of U.S. Independent Counsel Investigations, Greenwood Press, 2000. Template:ISBN. pp 133–134.</ref> One was by Representative William F. Clinger Jr. of Pennsylvania, the ranking Republican on the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, who reached this conclusion in findings published on August 12, 1994.<ref name="starr-background" /> The other was by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, wherein both the majority Democrats and minority Republicans on the committee developed findings that reached the same conclusion in reports issued on January 3, 1995.<ref name="starr-background" /> Theories of a cover-up persisted, however, some of which were promulgated by the Arkansas Project.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="cnn-feb97">Report: Starr Rules Out Foul Play In Foster Death, CNN, February 23, 1997.</ref>
After a three-year investigation, Whitewater independent counsel Ken Starr released a report on October 10, 1997, also concluding that the death was a suicide.<ref name="cnn-feb97" /><ref name="encyclo-ic" /><ref name="wapo-final" /> In response, Sheila Foster Anthony, Vince Foster's sister, said she agreed with Starr's findings but criticized his investigation for having taken so long, thus contributing to the existence of "ridiculous conspiracy theories proffered by those with a profit or political motive".<ref name="wapo-final">Template:Cite news</ref> The inclusion of Foster's death in the Starr investigation, and the length of time it took, was in part due to the role of Starr associate counsel Brett Kavanaugh.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kavanaugh's role in this became controversial two decades later during his Supreme Court nomination process.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="cnn-feb97" />

In 2004, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in National Archives and Records Administration v. Favish that the pictures of the scene and autopsy should not be released.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

LegacyEdit

Foster's death, occurring just six months into the new administration, is thought by some to have ended the optimism and remaining innocence of the White House staff.<ref name="wapo072098">"One Death Altered Path of Presidency", Peter Baker, The Washington Post, July 20, 1998.</ref> White House chief of staff and childhood friend Mack McLarty said that "It was a deep cut. It clearly had a tremendous impact."<ref name="wapo072098"/> Nussbaum speculated that if Foster had lived, he would have helped resist the calls to appoint independent counsels and the many investigations lumped under the Whitewater umbrella that occupied the administration and Clinton for the rest of his presidency might not have happened.<ref name="wapo072098"/> As it did happen, how Hillary Clinton's chief of staff, Maggie Williams, in particular handled Foster's files and documents immediately after his death became an issue of much investigation itself.<ref name="encyclo-ic"/><ref>"Memo Links First Lady To Handling Of Suicide Note", CNN, August 27, 1996.</ref>

Years later, Bill Clinton expressed his continued anger about the Foster rumors and theories, clenching a fist as he spoke: "I heard a lot of the right-wing talk show people ... and all the sleazy stuff they said. They didn't give a rip that he had killed himself or that his family was miserable or that they could break the hearts [of Foster's friends and family]. It was just another weapon to slug us with, to dehumanize us with."<ref name="gormley">Template:Cite book</ref>

Foster's death also had an effect on Rose Law Firm, as many within the firm had expected Foster to become its leader once he returned from service in Washington.<ref name="abaj"/> As one partner later said, "In meetings of the partners, he didn't often take a vocal stand. ... But when he did, it almost always swayed the firm. When he left for Washington, people here spoke openly about the emotional vacuum."<ref name="wapo-dvd"/> Colleagues speculated that Foster might have someday become president of the state bar association or a choice for a federal judgeship.<ref name="nykr-boyer"/>

Beginning in 1993, the Vince Foster Jr. Outstanding Lawyer Award was given out annually by the Pulaski County Bar Association to recognize members who contributed to the bar and advanced the legal profession.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> An endowed chair at the University of Arkansas School of Law, the Vincent Foster University Professor of Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility, was created in his name.<ref name="eahc"/> In 2015 a holder of the chair, Howard W. Brill, was appointed Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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Report on the Death of Vincent W. Foster, Jr,/by the Office of Independent Counsel in Re Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association HATHI Trust Digital Library, Universities of Michigan and Purdue. The complete 137-page, 2-volume report with appendices, footnotes, and exhibits.
Foster Report posted by The Washington Post. This file does not contain the report's footnotes, or the volume 2 appendix.
Frontline: Once Upon a Time in Arkansas: Vince Foster's journal
FBI Records: The Vault – Vincent Foster

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