AG Richardson Appoints Archibald Cox as Watergate Special Prosecutor

Attorney General-designate Elliot Richardson appointed Harvard Law professor Archibald Cox as Watergate special prosecutor on May 25, 1973, after promising the Senate broad independence for the role. Cox's authority covered all offenses arising from the 1972 election involving the president, White House staff, or presidential appointees. He could be dismissed only by Richardson for "extraordinary improprieties," making him nearly impossible to remove. Nixon would demand Cox's firing five months later after Cox subpoenaed the White House tapes.