Joseph A. Woods Jr.
Joseph A. Woods Jr. (1925 – July 15, 2013) was an American lawyer from Alabama.[1] Woods served as Senior Associate Special Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives during the inquiry for the proposed impeachment of Richard Nixon.[2]
Background
A native of Decatur, Alabama, Woods graduated from Boalt Hall in 1949 where he was editor of the California Law Review. His studies were interrupted by his service in World War II. Woods, as a first Lieutenant based in the Pacific from 1944 to 1946, was involved in the invasions of Luzon and Okinawa.[3]
Career
He began practicing law in 1949, joining an Oakland law firm that would become Donahue Gallagher Woods (where he remained as partner until the 1990s).[4] Upon an offer from John Doar, Woods went to Washington in January 1974 and began leading a task force on constitutional issues for the inquiry into a possible impeachment of Richard Nixon. Working closely with Bill Weld and Hillary Rodham, the task force researched previous American and British cases of impeachment, mostly working in the Library of Congress.[2] Their report asserted that not all crimes were impeachable offenses and that not all impeachable offenses were crimes. The 'Woods Report' has since framed the terms of all subsequent impeachment debates.[5]
From 1956 until 1988, Woods was the attorney for Lucky Stores, Inc., where he was also on the board of directors. He was a member of the National Council of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley and was president of the Alameda County Bar Association, representing Alameda County in the ABA House of Delegates from 1982 to 1990.[6]
A fellow of the American Bar Association from 1983, Woods served on the board of directors until his death and in later life wrote for the ABA's monthly newsletter. He died in Piedmont, California on July 15, 2013, aged 88.[4]
References
- ^ "Joseph Woods Obituary - San Francisco, CA | San Francisco Chronicle". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- ^ a b [1]
- ^ "In Memoriam: Joseph A. Woods Jr., 1925–2013 | Senior Lawyers Division". Americanbar.org. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- ^ a b "Joe Woods: A Man for All Seasons | Senior Lawyers Division". Americanbar.org. 2013-07-15. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- ^ Cassidy, John. "Terms of Impeachment". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- ^ [2][dead link]