President George W. Bush issued the following statement on the passing of Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
PRESIDENT BUSH:
Our nation is saddened today by the news that Chief Justice William Rehnquist passed away last night.Laura and I send our respect and deepest sympathy to this good man's children, Jim, Janet and Nancy. We send our respect to all the members of the Rehnquist family.
William H. Rehnquist was born and raised in Wisconsin. He was the grandson of Swedish immigrants. Like so many of his generation, he served in the Army during World War II. He went on to college with the help of the G.I. Bill.
He studied law at Stanford University. He graduated first in his class. That included his future colleague Sandra Day O'Connor.
Judge Rehnquist and his late wife, Nan, raised their family in Phoenix, where he built a career as one of Arizona's leading attorneys.
He went on to even greater distinction in public service: as an assistant U.S. attorney general, associate justice of the Supreme Court and, for the past 19 years, chief justice of the United States.
He was extremely well-respected for his powerful intellect. He was respected for his deep commitment to the rule of law and his profound devotion to duty.
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He will be missed. God bless his soul.