CHIEF JUSTICE WILLIAM H. REHNQUIST - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 07/08/1974 - HFSID 174952

WILLIAM H. REHNQUIST
In this signed and dated letter, Rehnquist writes a New Jersey detective that prices for Court photographs had gone up, 16 days before the Court's unanimous decision on President Nixon's tapes
Typed letter signed: "William H. Rehnquist," 1 page, 8x10½. Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, D.C., 1974 July 8. Rehnquist writes Carl A. Gessner, Detective, Police Department, Watchung, NJ, in full: "The Public Information Office here at the Court has called to say that the man who was making prints of the color photograph of the Court has gone out of business and that the person who will now be making them has raised the price to $12.50. I would appreciate your letting me know whether you want me to go ahead and order one for you for a cost of an extra $2.50, or whether you would prefer to have me return the $10 you sent to me. I am sorry that this change was made between the time we checked the price and the actual placing of the order. Yours very truly." This letter was written 16 days before the Court's unanimous ruling on July 24, 1974, which upheld the Special Prosecutor's subpoena for President Nixon's tapes for the Watergate trial; Nixon resigned 16 days later. Rehnquist (1924-2005) was appointed Associate Justice by President Nixon on January 7, 1972. President Reagan appointed Rehnquist Chief Justice on September 26, 1986; he served until his death in 2005. As Chief Justice, he presided at President Clinton's impeachment trial in 1999. On December 12, 2000, his court ruled 5-4 that the manual recount of presidential votes in Florida was unconstitutional, resulting in Vice President Al Gore's concession and Texas Governor George W. Bush's victory. He was contemplating retirement due to ill health when he unexpectedly died in 2005. Fine condition.