Having earned degrees at Yale University and the University of California at Berkeley, Meese gained experience in a variety of diverse fields. As a public official in California he advanced to become the chief assistant to Governor Ronald Reagan. In 1975 he became Vice President of Rohr Industries, a leader in aerospace and transportation technology. Following a stint in private law practice, Meese served on the faculty at University of San Diego where he also directed the Center for Criminal Justice Policy and Management.

From the onset of the Reagan Administration it was Ed Meese who was considered the President's top domestic affairs advisor. Under his direction, the Domestic Policy Council aimed for new goals and attempted new methods of achieving their objectives. AIDS policy, welfare reform, family care, crime control and drug abuse policy were among the tough issues on the Reagan/Meese agenda.

In 1985, Meese became the nation's 75th Attorney General. During his term as head of the Justice Department, the federal government began a period of unprecedented cooperation with state and local authorities as well as law enforcement officials of other countries. As a result of these Meese-initiated programs, espionage prosecution resulted in dozens of celebrated arrests, including the John Walker and Jonathan Pollard cases. The western world united against those who take part in terrorist activities. The child pornography industry was reduced to a shell of its former self. Perhaps most importantly, drug enforcement and education efforts have reached an all time high.

Without the personal involvement of Edwin Meese, the fight against drug production and sale would have been ineffective and weak. Instead, Meese's global efforts led to greater international cooperation, tough sentencing for drug trafficking, and national cooperation among prosecutors as highlighted by the famed "Pizza Connection" arrests.

Meese is now a Distinguished Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and the Hoover Institution and is the author of a nationally syndicated column. He is also the author of the bestselling book With Reagan, an inside story from the ultimate insider.

Controversial, experienced, effective, famous and well-connected . . . Ed Meese is a man who has left his mark on the American public.