Download Powell's name had been bandied about as a possible Court nominee for some years prior to his nomination. Below is an example of his typical response of discouragement. (45 KB)

Download When Attorney General John Mitchell told Powell that the President wanted to nominate him to the Court, he still had reservations. This is evidenced in both his later memorandum to his children about the nomination, and in his contemporaneous notes. Memorandum (69 KB)

Download When Attorney General John Mitchell told Powell that the President wanted to nominate him to the Court, he still had reservations. This is evidenced in both his later memorandum to his children about the nomination, and in his contemporaneous notes. Notes (95 KB)

Download a page from the press release version of President Nixon's address to the nation. (121 KB)

Download Following his nomination, Powell received approximately 4,000 messages of congratulations. This telegram, from New Orleans attorney and father of the contemporary radio talk show host, is typical (39 KB)

Download Powell's extensive preparation for the Senate confirmation hearings included the creation of reference binders (89 KB)

Download Photos from Powell's Senate Confirmation hearings, November 1971 (44 KB)

Download Powell with Virginia Governor Holton and Virginia Senator Spong (52 KB)

Download Powell shakes hands with Senator Charles Mathias (57 KB)

Download Photo captioning in Powell's own hand (38 KB)

Download Newly sworn in Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, Rehnquist and Powell, January 7, 1972 (53 KB)

Download Snapshots from reception for Justices, thought to be from January 7, 1972 (80 KB)

Download Apparently the first formal portrait of Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. (47 KB)

Download The Supreme Court as constituted in 1972 (39 KB)