    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 36 (Monday, September 12, 2005)]
    [Pages 1359-1361]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks at the Funeral Service for Chief Justice of the United States
    William H. Rehnquist

    September 7, 2005

        Jim and Janet and Nancy; members of the Rehnquist family; colleagues
    of the Chief Justice:
        This afternoon the people of the United States mourn the passing of
    the leader of a branch of the Government, the eight Justices of the
    Court pay final homage to their Chief and friend, and a loving family
    bids farewell to a kind and gentle soul.
        William Hubbs Rehnquist accomplished many things in his good life
    and rose to high places. And we remember the integrity and the sense of
    duty that he brought to every task before him. That character was clear
    in the young man of 18 who signed up for the Army Air Corps during the
    Second World War. The Nation saw that character in his more than three
    decades of service on our highest Court. And the Nation saw it again
    last January the 20th, when the Chief Justice made his way onto the
    Inaugural platform. Many will never forget the sight of this man,
    weakened by illness, rise to his full height and say in a strong voice,
    ``Raise your right hand, Mr. President, and repeat after me.''
        It was more than a half-century ago that Bill Rehnquist first came
    to the Supreme

    [[Page 1360]]

    Court as a law clerk. As he would later recount the story, he made that
    trip from Milwaukee in the middle of the winter in an old blue
    Studebaker with no heater. He recalled that as he began the journey, he
    patted that car and thought, ``Don't let me down, baby.''
        After a year-and-a-half in the Chambers of Justice Robert Jackson,
    Bill Rehnquist left DC and headed for Phoenix with an even greater love
    for the law and with something more, a beautiful fiancee named Natalie
    Cornell. She would share his walk in life for nearly 40 years. All who
    knew the Chief know how he cherished Nan and their time together and how
    much he missed his wife in the years without her.
        In every chapter of his life, William Rehnquist stood apart for his
    powerful intellect and clear convictions. In a profession that values
    disciplined thought and persuasive ability, a talent like his gets
    noticed in a hurry. Still in his 40s, he became the 100th Justice of the
    Supreme Court, and one of the youngest in modern times.
        After he moved to the center chair, William Rehnquist led the Court
    for nearly two decades and earned a place among our greatest chief
    justices. He built consensus through openness and collegiality. He was a
    distinguished scholar of the Constitution and a superb administrator of
    the judicial conference. He understood the role of a judge and the place
    of courts in our constitutional system. He was prudent in exercising
    judicial power and firm in defending judicial independence.
        On the bench and as a leader of the Federal courts, Chief Justice
    Rehnquist was always a calm and steady presence. In his thinking and in
    his bearing, he personified the ideal of fairness, and people could
    sense it. Inside the Court, no man could have been a finer steward of
    the institution, its customs, and its history.
        As long as William Rehnquist was presiding, colleagues and advocates
    knew that the proceedings would be orderly, on time, businesslike, and
    occasionally humorous. Once during an oral argument, a lawyer criticized
    his opponent's position by saying, ``I doubt very much it will fool this
    Court.'' The Chief Justice replied, ``Don't overestimate us.''
    [Laughter]
        In his time on the Court, William Rehnquist served with 16 other
    justices, and by all accounts, each one of his colleagues regarded the
    man with respect and affection. Justice William Brennen once said to a
    visitor, ``I cannot begin to tell you . . . how fond all of us are of
    him personally.''
        Throughout this city of government, people saw William Rehnquist in
    that same way. He carried himself with dignity but without pretense.
    Like Ronald Reagan, the President who elevated him to Chief Justice, he
    was kindly and decent, and there was not an ounce of self-importance
    about him. It is rare that--it is a rare man who can hold a prominent
    position in Washington, DC, for more than 30 years and leave behind only
    good feelings and admiration. That's what William Rehnquist did.
        His law clerks knew him as a demanding boss who pressed them, as one
    said, to ``read carefully, write clearly, and to think hard.'' But the
    clerks also became an extension of the Chief's family, joining him for
    walks around the Capitol, or for lunch or dinner, or games of tennis or
    charades. His clerks remember those times with fondness. And even more,
    they remember his vast store of knowledge and his daily example of clear
    thinking and character. To work beside William Rehnquist was to learn
    how a wise man looks at the law and how a good man looks at life.
        The Chief Justice was devoted to his public duties but not consumed
    by them. He was a renaissance man, a man who adored his family, a man
    who always kept things in balance. He read works of history and wrote a
    few fine ones of his own. He knew how to paint, and he knew how to win
    at bridge and poker. He had a passion for the classics, for astronomy,
    and for college basketball. He enjoyed music, and having stood next to
    him during the National Anthem, I can tell you the man loved to sing.
    [Laughter]
        William Rehnquist often reminded young lawyers of the ancient
    insight that time is the most valuable thing a man can spend. He spoke
    with feeling about the need to choose wisely, doing your job well, and
    never forgetting the other important things that also take time: love
    for one another, being a good parent to a child, service to your
    community.

    [[Page 1361]]

    He might have added, the importance of being a loving grandfather,
    because he was clearly that too.
        The 16th Chief Justice of the United States was given 80 years of
    life. He filled those years with purpose, a gracious spirit, and
    faithful service to God and country to the very end. He now goes to his
    rest beside his beloved Nan. And William H. Rehnquist leaves behind the
    gratitude of our whole Nation. We're proud of our Chief Justice, and
    America honors his memory. May God bless him.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:45 p.m. at St. Matthew's Cathedral. In
    his remarks, he referred to James Rehnquist, Janet Rehnquist, and Nancy
    Spears, children of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. A tape was not
    available for verification of the content of these remarks.