William Saxbe, Outspoken Ohio Senator and Nixon AG, Dead at 94

Ohio's William B. Saxbe, an outspoken senator who challenged Richard Nixon's Vietnam policies only to be named Nixon's attorney general, was a Republican maverick well before John McCain entered politics. And Saxbe, who died Tuesday at the age of 94, never denied it.

Saxbe was an unpretentious, tobacco-chewing gentleman farmer from tiny Mechanicsburg in western Ohio, where he was an avid hunter in his time away from government and politics. He served as speaker of the Ohio House, Ohio Attorney General and U.S. senator, elected in 1968 over Democrat John J. Gilligan. In 1973, while Saxbe was serving in the Senate, Nixon asked him to become attorney general, succeeding Elliot Richardson -- who resigned after refusing to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox. Cox had refused to back down on a demand for Nixon's White House tapes. Saxbe played no role in the infamous Saturday Night Massacre, when Cox was finally fired by then-Solicitor General Robert Bork, but the Ohioan agreed to fill the vacant AG slot.

Saxbe was nominated even though a year earlier he had questioned whether Nixon had "taken leave of his senses" when the president ordered a Christmas season bombing of North Vietnam after peace talks stalled that December. But all was forgiven when Nixon needed a credible nominee for attorney general following the Richardson fiasco. In his autobiography, "I've Seen the Elephant," Saxbe recalled arriving for his first face-to-face meeting with Nixon about the AG job. "Not wanting to be conspicuous, I drove up to the White House in my bright red, 1967 Cadillac convertible. On the seat next to me was a pack of Mail Pouch tobacco. Only later, did I remember that in the trunk was my waterfowl shotgun because over the weekend I was going goose hunting."

He said Nixon's explanation for Watergate seemed "less plausible" the longer he talked about it -- but "when the president tells you he is innocent you are inclined to believe him or you wouldn't take the job. . . . Only after my confirmation did reality creep in, and I realized he was up to his ears in Watergate. . . . I discovered later that Nixon really thought he could get, in me, a patsy to rubber stamp what he wanted. He was wrong."

His son, Rocky Saxbe, told the Columbus Dispatch that Saxbe had been in poor health and was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. "He was an inspiration to all of us and everyone who knew him," Rocky Saxbe said. "His charm was that he put on no airs and spoke what was on his mind. What he said was straightforward and usually the right thing at the right time." And Bill Saxbe wasn't hesitant about employing salty language to get his points across.

In late 1974, President Gerald Ford named him ambassador to India, where he served until 1976, resigning after the election of Democrat Jimmy Carter as president. He went home to Champaign County and practiced law. Over the next decade, his name often popped up in speculation about various public offices, even president, but he never ran again. He remained a revered figure in Ohio politics, a moderate Republican, World War II Army veteran, and Ohio State University graduate who fit the state like a comfortable shoe.