[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.