Herbert W. Kalmbach
Encyclopedia
Herbert W. Kalmbach was the personal attorney to United States President
Richard Nixon
(1968–1973).
in 1952. He was a real estate lawyer and founding partner
of Kalmbach, DeMarco, Knapp & Chillingworth. He raised money for Richard Nixon's candidacy in the United States presidential election, 1960
and again in United States presidential election, 1968
. He declined Nixon's offer to appoint him Under Secretary of Commerce
, and instead became the president's private lawyer. His law firm prospered during this period; it employed two lawyers in 1968, fourteen in 1970, and twenty-four by 1973. The presidential connection drew United Air Lines, Dart Industries Inc.
, Marriott Corp.
, and MCA Inc. as clients. During this period Kalmbach founded the Newport Bank, and the firm performed routine legal chores for the President.
Kalmbach was involved in a secret Nixon polling
operation hidden from all but his closest senior advisors. Nixon used the poll results to shape policy and campaign strategy and manipulate popular opinion. On December 21, 1971, Kalmbach set up a Delaware
shell corporation with private funding, to hide Administration sponsorship of polls.
Kalmbach was also the Deputy Finance Chairman for the Committee to Re-elect the President
. In this capacity he eventually was implicated in a fund-raising scandal involving re-election campaign contributions by Associated Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI) and two other major dairy-farm cooperatives in connection with Nixon's support of an increase in price support
s for milk in 1971. Testimony by AMPI general manager George L. Mehrens in 1973 identified Kalmbach as a major solicitor of these contributions; articles on Charles Colson
's involvement in the AMPI scandal indicated that $2 million in contributions had been expected, but that the actual donations were nearer to $400,000, of which some $197,500 had been given by AMPI.
Kalmbach handled a secret $500,000 fund to finance the sabotage and espionage operations of Donald Segretti
, including $30,000 to $40,000 in 1972 alone for spying on Democrats
. Segretti was paid from re-election funds gathered before the April 7, 1972, cutoff point after which a new law required full disclosure of contributors; Kalmbach told investigators in early 1973 that he had destroyed the contribution records prior to the April 7 date, violating the Federal Corrupt Practices Act
, which required the records be maintained for two years and which expired only as of the new law's going into effect. Kalmbach claimed in a later FBI interview that he had not known who was supervising Segretti nor what activities he was being paid to perform. Kalmbach also raised $220,000 in "hush money" to pay off the Watergate
burglars.
But it was his raising of $3.9 million for a secret Republican congressional campaign committee and promising an ambassador
a better post in exchange for $100,000 that led to his conviction and imprisonment for 191 days and a $10,000 fine. Kalmbach lost his license to practice law, although he was reinstated in 1977.
Kalmbach lives in Newport Beach, California
. Although he retired in the late 1980s, he remains of counsel
to Baker Hostetler
.
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
(1968–1973).
Biography
Mr. Kalmach was admitted to the barAdmission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in 1952. He was a real estate lawyer and founding partner
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
of Kalmbach, DeMarco, Knapp & Chillingworth. He raised money for Richard Nixon's candidacy in the United States presidential election, 1960
United States presidential election, 1960
The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...
and again in United States presidential election, 1968
United States presidential election, 1968
The United States presidential election of 1968 was the 46th quadrennial United States presidential election. Coming four years after Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson won in a historic landslide, it saw Johnson forced out of the race and Republican Richard Nixon elected...
. He declined Nixon's offer to appoint him Under Secretary of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
, and instead became the president's private lawyer. His law firm prospered during this period; it employed two lawyers in 1968, fourteen in 1970, and twenty-four by 1973. The presidential connection drew United Air Lines, Dart Industries Inc.
Justin Whitlock Dart
Justin Whitlock Dart, Sr. was considered the "boy wonder" of the drug store industry. In college Dart had played football for Northwestern University....
, Marriott Corp.
Marriott Corp.
Marriott Corporation was a hospitality company that operated from 1927–1993, founded originally by J. Willard Marriott and Frank Kimball as Hot Shoppes, Inc. In 1957, Marriott Corporation opened its first hotel in Arlington County, Virginia, United States as the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel...
, and MCA Inc. as clients. During this period Kalmbach founded the Newport Bank, and the firm performed routine legal chores for the President.
Kalmbach was involved in a secret Nixon polling
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
operation hidden from all but his closest senior advisors. Nixon used the poll results to shape policy and campaign strategy and manipulate popular opinion. On December 21, 1971, Kalmbach set up a Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
shell corporation with private funding, to hide Administration sponsorship of polls.
Kalmbach was also the Deputy Finance Chairman for the Committee to Re-elect the President
Committee to Re-elect the President
The Committee for the Re-Election of the President, abbreviated CRP but often mocked by the acronym CREEP, was a fundraising organization of United States President Richard Nixon's administration...
. In this capacity he eventually was implicated in a fund-raising scandal involving re-election campaign contributions by Associated Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI) and two other major dairy-farm cooperatives in connection with Nixon's support of an increase in price support
Price support
In economics, a price support may be either a subsidy or a price control, both with the intended effect of keeping the market price of a good higher than the competitive equilibrium level....
s for milk in 1971. Testimony by AMPI general manager George L. Mehrens in 1973 identified Kalmbach as a major solicitor of these contributions; articles on Charles Colson
Charles Colson
Charles Wendell "Chuck" Colson is a Christian leader, cultural commentator, and former Special Counsel for President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973....
Kalmbach handled a secret $500,000 fund to finance the sabotage and espionage operations of Donald Segretti
Donald Segretti
Donald Henry Segretti is a former political operative for the Committee to Re-elect the President during the early 1970s. Segretti was hired by friend Dwight L...
, including $30,000 to $40,000 in 1972 alone for spying on Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. Segretti was paid from re-election funds gathered before the April 7, 1972, cutoff point after which a new law required full disclosure of contributors; Kalmbach told investigators in early 1973 that he had destroyed the contribution records prior to the April 7 date, violating the Federal Corrupt Practices Act
Federal Corrupt Practices Act
The Federal Corrupt Practices Act was a federal law of the United States enacted in 1910 and amended in 1911 and 1925. It remained the nation's primary law regulating campaign finance in federal elections until the passage of the Federal Election Campaign Act in 1971. Created by President William H...
, which required the records be maintained for two years and which expired only as of the new law's going into effect. Kalmbach claimed in a later FBI interview that he had not known who was supervising Segretti nor what activities he was being paid to perform. Kalmbach also raised $220,000 in "hush money" to pay off the Watergate
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
burglars.
But it was his raising of $3.9 million for a secret Republican congressional campaign committee and promising an ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
a better post in exchange for $100,000 that led to his conviction and imprisonment for 191 days and a $10,000 fine. Kalmbach lost his license to practice law, although he was reinstated in 1977.
Kalmbach lives in Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
. Although he retired in the late 1980s, he remains of counsel
Of counsel
Of counsel is often the title of an attorney who is employed by a law firm or an organization, but is not an associate or a partner. Some firms use titles like "counsel," "special counsel," and "senior counsel" for the same concept...
to Baker Hostetler
Baker Hostetler
Baker Hostetler is an American law firm based in Cleveland, Ohio and founded in 1916. One of the firm's founders, Newton D. Baker, was U.S. Secretary of War during World War I and former Mayor of Cleveland....
.
Further reading
- Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 10: September, 1973-August, 1976. New York: H. W. Wilson Co., 1977.
- Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 12: September, 1979-August, 1982. New York: H. W. Wilson Co., 1983.
- Who's Who in America. 38th edition, 1974-1975. WilmetteWilmette, IllinoisWilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located north of Chicago's downtown district and has a population of 27,651. Wilmette is considered a bedroom community in the North Shore district...
: MarquisMarquisMarquis is a French and Scottish title of nobility. The English equivalent is Marquess, while in German, it is Markgraf.It may also refer to:Persons:...
Who's Who, 1974. - Who's Who in America. 39th edition, 1976-1977. Wilmette: Marquis Who's Who, 1976.
- Who's Who in the West. 14th edition, 1974-1975. Wilmette: Marquis Who's Who, 1974.