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William Webster, Only Person To Lead Both FBI And CIA, Dies At 101

August 10, 2025

William Webster, Only Person To Lead Both FBI And CIA, Dies At 101 – Read full story below.

William H Webster , the former FBI and CIA manager whose trouble-shoot skill and unity help reconstruct populace assurance in those Federal soldier agency , has die , his household announce Friday . He was 101 .

John webster led the FBI from 1978 to 1987 and the CIA from 1987 to 1991 , the lone individual to usher the state ‘s top law-enforcement federal agency and its primary election intelligence-gathering organisation .

By the clip he come to Washington , at age 53 , Webster had practice law for about 20 old age , had serve a stretch as a Federal soldier public prosecutor and had spend about 9 old age on the Federal soldier bench in his indigen St. Louis . Those who oppose him in tribunal or disagree with his opinion admit that his honestness was beyond inquiry .

“ Every manager of the CIA or the FBI should be fix to vacate in the event that he is ask to do something that he know is wrongfulness , ” Webster state after he agree to lead the spy federal agency .

Former President George W. Bush state in a statement Friday nighttime that Webster ‘s “ passionateness for the regulation of law and for the illustriousness of America make him a theoretical account populace retainer . ”

President Jimmy Carter choose Webster , a Republican , for a 10-year term as FBI head as the agency seek to better an mental image tarnish by disclosure of domestic help spying , internal corruptness and other maltreatment of powerfulness . Demand but carnival of his agent , he was by and large credit with development its ability to grip new challenge such as act of terrorism .

President Ronald Reagan choose Webster to replace CIA head William J. Casey , who had be knock for beingness too political , ignore Congress and playing a portion in the arms-for-hostages dirt know as Iran-Contra .

John webster , once again in the function of foreigner with no political docket , rapidly seek to easiness tension with Congress . He report on a regular basis on the CIA ‘s activity to lawgiver charge with intelligence inadvertence and avoid the visual aspect of try to form policy . Retire from Federal soldier service in 1991 , he join a Washington law house but still serve on a assortment of policy-related boards and committee .

In 2002 , the Securities and Exchange Commission choose Webster , on a zealot ballot , to lead a board make by Congress to supervise the accounting profession in the aftermath of scandal involve Enron and other corporation .

Earlier the board ‘s number one group meeting , nevertheless , Webster vacate amid question astir his function as caput of the audited account commission of US Technologies , a company itself accused of fraud . The contention over his function in Webster ‘s assignment lend to the surrender of SEC Chair Harvey Pitt .

William Hedgcock Webster was Max Born on March 6 , 1924 , in St. Louis . He was raise in the suburbia of Webster Groves , Missouri , his male parent the proprietor of spread and farm land and the operator of small business . He serve as a Navy lieutenant during World War II and return to active agent responsibility for two old age during the Korean War . He graduate from Amherst College with a unmarried man ‘s grade in 1947 and gain a law grade from Washington University Law School in St. Louis in 1949 .

John webster practice law with a St. Louis house until 1960 , when President Dwight D. Eisenhower appoint him U.S. lawyer for the Eastern District of Missouri . He vacate the followers twelvemonth after President John F. Kennedy ‘s election and then spend most of the 1960s in buck private pattern . Appoint by President Richard Nixon to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in 1971 , Webster establish a repute as a centrist legal expert . Richard nixon elevated railway Webster to the 8th U.S . Electrical circuit Court of Appeals in 1973 .

“ I think of myself as operate from a place of restraint but beingness ready to return any judicial action necessity to accomplish the end of justness , ” Webster state as he close his judicial calling to articulation the FBI . Critic , nevertheless , blame him for a inclination to favour the criminal prosecution in felon case .

Liberal and conservative commend Webster for an even-handed record on civil right , evening though he was a fellow member of St. Louis sociable organization that exclude minority . He contend that he would not belong to any baseball club that actively practice racism . As FBI manager , he bring Thomas More Black people and woman into the agency . Replacement Clarence M. Kelley , Webster concentrate the FBI ‘s attempt on form offense , white-collar wrongdoer and drug enforcement .

Highlight attending to political corruptness was the Abscam stinging , in which official offer bribe to agency employee sitting as Middle Eastern business community . 11 people , include six member of Congress , be convict .

John webster besides step up the FBI ‘s anti-terrorism and counterintelligence activity , which help fix him for the CIA station . Some who question his assignment as manager of telephone exchange intelligence contend that his deficiency of operational experience and foreign personal business experience was a hurt .

John webster was credit with edifice morale inside the CIA and beginning its displacement from a Cold War stance . The federal agency was accused , some claim below the belt , of not expect how rapidly the Soviet Union and its Eastern axis would crumple and not make Thomas More in progress of Saddam Hussein ‘s invasion of Kuwait in 1991 . It was commend for the intelligence it supply during the Gulf War .

Over a nine-year time period that include Webster ‘s term , CIA military officer Aldrich Ames sell secret to the Soviet Union and compromise tons of trading operations earlier he was collar and sentence to life in prison house without word in 1994 . John webster and other CIA head be knock for weakness to observe Ames ‘ activity .

In retirement , Webster serve on a presidential panel on fatherland security after the Sept. 11 , 2001 , terrorist attack and was a fellow member of a committee investigation security oversight at the FBI .

John webster , a Christian Scientist who did not fume , rarely drink and enjoy playing lawn tennis and reading history , married Drusilla Lane Webster in 1950 ; they raise two daughter and one son . Followers her decease from malignant neoplastic disease in 1984 , he married Lynda Jo Clugston in 1990 .

John webster is survive by his sec married woman , 3 child from his number one matrimony and their spouse , 7 grandchild and spouse and 12 great-grandchildren . A commemoration service volition be keep in Washington on September 18 .