William Ruckelshaus with President Nixon. (Photo courtesy of Legacy Washington)

Thursday marked the anniversary of a pivotal moment in one of the most shocking political scandals in American history. On Oct. 20, 1973, two key U.S. Justice Department officials resigned their positions rather carry out President Nixon’s order to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox.

One of the Justice officials, William Ruckelshaus, is the subject of a compelling profile just launched by Secretary of State Kim Wyman’s Legacy Washington  team.

Wyman says the profile is a must-read for history buffs and political junkies alike:

“Bill is widely admired for following his conscience in a historic political scandal. For all he witnessed, he loves his country and remains committed to its bedrock principles. His story captures the influences that forged his character and his riveting experiences in the Nixon White House.”

“The Conscience of Mr. Clean,” written by Legacy Washington project director Trova Heffernan, is the latest profile in the “Who are we?” series, an educational project that explores the lives of diverse Washingtonians who have led fascinating lives. The Ruckelshaus profile can be found here.

In the in-depth profile, Ruckelshaus, a longtime resident of Washington state, recounts the  influences of his younger years in Indiana and his ascent through the Nixon administration. Ruckelshaus was the first leader of the Environmental Protection Agency in the early 1970s and  temporarily ran the FBI before Nixon named him deputy attorney general.

As the FBI’s acting director, Ruckelshaus investigated the 1972 burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate building and its cover-up, and saw the resignation of Mark Felt, the FBI’s No. 2 man who later would be identified as “Deep Throat,” the key anonymous Watergate source for Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

During his time in the Justice Department, Ruckelshaus investigated the bribery case against Spiro Agnew, the first vice president to resign in disgrace. Ruckelshaus and Attorney General Elliot Richardson both resigned instead of following Nixon’s order to fire Cox.

Today, Ruckelshaus devotes much of his time to restoring Puget Sound and efforts to save the salmon. He is chairman of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, a collaboration between the University of Washington and Washington State University that focuses on complex public policy.

In 2015, President Obama awarded Ruckelshaus the Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.

“Who are we?” profiles a diverse group of Washingtonians who have persevered to make important contributions to their state, a kaleidoscope of 7 million people. Other honorees include a former U.S. representative; two talented young Latino winemakers; the pastor who brought Martin Luther King Jr. to Seattle; two Native American activists; a member of the disability rights hall of fame; the youngest-ever mayor of a Washington city; the director of the Eastern Washington Veterans’ Cemetery; and an Asian-American artist. The “Who are we?” series can be viewed here.

The next profile, to be released later this fall, will spotlight Hank Adams, a longtime Washingtonian and a member of the Assiniboine-Sioux, called the “most important Indian.”