NATION : Judge Haynsworth Dies at 77
Clement F. Haynsworth Jr., whose nomination by President Richard M. Nixon to the Supreme Court was rejected by the Senate because of his business practices and views on minorities, died of a heart attack today at his home. He was 77.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower named Haynsworth in 1957 to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. He spent 17 years as chief justice on the court before retiring in 1981.
In 1969, Nixon nominated Haynsworth to the Supreme Court to fill the seat left vacant by Justice Abe Fortas’ resignation. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10 to 7 in favor of the nomination, but reports questioning his judicial ethics arose.
The most damaging questions centered on Haynsworth’s participation in a case involving a company that did extensive business with a company in which he owned a one-seventh interest. In addition, civil rights groups and organized labor opposed the nomination, portraying Haynsworth as insensitive to minorities and working people.
On Nov. 21, 1969, the Senate defeated his nomination 55 to 45.
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