William Steele Sessions

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American judge (1930–2020)

For other people named William Sessions, see William Sessions (disambiguation) .

William Steele Sessions (May 27, 1930 – June 12, 2020) was an American attorney and jurist who served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and the fourth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation . Sessions served as FBI director from 1987 to 1993, when he was dismissed by President Bill Clinton . After leaving the public sector, Sessions represented Semion Mogilevich , international leader of the Russian mafia . He is the father of Texas Congressman Pete Sessions .

Early life and education

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Sessions was born in Fort Smith , Arkansas , the son of Edith A. (née Steele) and the Reverend Will Anderson Sessions Jr. He graduated from Northeast High School in Kansas City , Missouri , in 1948, and enlisted in the United States Air Force , receiving his commission October 1952. He served on active duty until October 1955. He attended Baylor University in Waco , Texas, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1956. He received a Bachelor of Laws in 1958 from Baylor Law School . At Baylor, Sessions became a member of the Delta Chi fraternity. He was an Eagle Scout and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America .

Career

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Law practice

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Sessions was an attorney for the firm of Haley, Fulbright, Winniford, Sessions, and Bice in Waco , Texas, from 1963 until 1969. He was then appointed Chief of the Government Operations Section, Criminal Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. , where he served until his appointment as United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas in 1971.

Federal judicial service

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Sessions was nominated by President Gerald Ford on December 11, 1974, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas vacated by Judge Ernest Allen Guinn . He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 19, 1974, and received his commission on December 20, 1974. He served as Chief Judge from 1980 to 1987. He served as a board member of the Federal Judicial Center from 1980 to 1984. His service terminated on November 1, 1987, due to his resignation.

FBI Director (1987–1993)

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After a two-month search, Sessions was nominated to succeed William H. Webster as FBI Director by President Ronald Reagan and was sworn in on November 2, 1987.

Sessions was viewed as combining tough direction with fairness and was respected even by the Reagan administration's critics, although he was sometimes ridiculed as straitlaced and dull and lacking hands-on leadership. He worked to raise the image of the FBI in Congress and fought to raise the pay of FBI agents, which had lagged behind other law enforcement agencies.

Reflecting the tensions between the Justice Department and the independent Bureau, Sessions announced that the FBI would be looking into whether Justice Department officials illegally misled a federal judge in a politically sensitive bank fraud case involving loans to Iraq before the Persian Gulf War , and 48 hours later Sessions was the subject of an ethics investigation on whether he had abused his office perks.

Sessions enjoyed his strongest support among liberal Democrats in Congress.

Sessions was applauded for pursuing a policy of broadening the FBI to include more women and minorities, efforts which upset the "old boys" at the Bureau.

Sample "Winners Don't Use Drugs " message from _Golden Axe _.

Sessions became associated with the phrase "Winners Don't Use Drugs ", which appeared in the attract mode of North American–released arcade games from 1989 to 2000.

By law, it had to be included on all imported arcade games released in North America, and continued to appear long after Sessions left office. The quote normally appeared in gold against a blue background between the FBI seal and Sessions' name.

Sessions' major contributions to the US criminal justice community include the encouraging of the FBI laboratory to develop a DNA program with a strong legal underpinning and the automation of the national fingerprint process. The latter project, known as the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), reduced the

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