Chief Justice William Rehnquist in December 2003
JASON REED/Reuters
"The Chief Justice battled thyroid cancer since being diagnosed last October and continued to perform his duties on the court until a precipitous decline in his health the last couple of days," court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said in a statement.
Rehnquist, whose wife died in 1991, was surrounded by his three children at the time of his death.
He served on the highest court in the land for 33 years, and his passing leaves President Bush with the second court opening within four months (confirmation hearings for nominee John Roberts are due to begin Tuesday) and the first simultaneous high court openings in 34 years.
"President Bush and Mrs. Bush are deeply saddened by the news," said White House counselor Dan Bartlett. "It's a tremendous loss for our nation."
Rehnquist was appointed to the Supreme Court as an associate justice in 1971 by President Richard M. Nixon and took his seat on Jan. 7, 1972. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan nominated Rehnquist to replace retiring Chief Justice Warren Burger, over protests at the time by those who labeled Rehnquist a conservative extremist.
There were also charges that he had mishandled a family trust. The accusations were never proven, however, and the Senate confirmed Rehnquist by a solid majority.
The son of a paper salesman, William Hubbs Rehnquist was born in Milwaukee, Wis., on Oct. 1, 1924, into a middle-class suburban home. He put his college education on hold during World War II when he enlisted in the air force branch of the army as a weather observer and served in North Africa.
Afterward, he attended Stanford, Harvard and Stanford Law – graduating in the same 1953 class with Sandra Day O'Connor. Rehnquist was No. 1 in the class; O'Connor – who in 1981 became the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court (and who announced her retirement July 1) – was No. 3.
It was during law school that Rehnquist met Natalie Cornell, and the two married during his clerkship. The couple moved to Phoenix, Ariz., where a law job opened for Rehnquist, and they had a son and two daughters.
Rehnquist also became a Republican party official and achieved prominence as a strong opponent of school integration – a position that came back to haunt him and nearly blocked his Supreme Court nomination.
Over time, the chief justice came to be seen as an efficient manager of court affairs and a sometimes moderate, as evidenced by his votes to protect gay rights and free speech – though under his leadership the court grew visibly more conservative.
Rehnquist championed states' rights and helped speed up executions, and he was the only member the current court who voted on Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion. He opposed that decision.
Since his wife’s death, Rehnquist devoted his free time to some quiet hobbies, such as walking and playing bridge and tennis, and maintained the tradition of a family Christmas carol party, which he hosted every year. Besides his three children, he is survived by eight grandchildren.
