William H. Webster, the only person ever to lead both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency, died on August 8, 2025, at the age of 101. His passing marks the end of a remarkable era in American public service, one defined by integrity, a commitment to the rule of law, and a steady hand during some of the nation’s most turbulent moments. The FBI confirmed his death in a statement, while his family described him as a “beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and patriot.” A memorial service is scheduled for September 18 in Washington, D.C., where dignitaries and former colleagues are expected to pay tribute.
Born March 6, 1924, in St. Louis, Missouri, Webster’s life spanned a century of American history. He graduated from Amherst College in 1947 and earned a law degree from Washington University Law School in 1949. His service to the country began early as a U.S. Navy lieutenant in both World War II and the Korean War. After returning home, he practiced law in St. Louis and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri in 1960.
Webster’s judicial career began with an appointment by President Richard Nixon as a U.S. District Court judge in 1970, followed by a promotion to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in 1973. But it was his appointment as FBI director by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 that thrust him into the national spotlight. At the time, the FBI’s reputation had been battered by revelations of corruption and illegal surveillance under longtime director J. Edgar Hoover. According to The Washington Post, one of Webster’s first acts as director was to remove Hoover’s bust from his office—a symbolic gesture signaling a new era.
“When I swore in William Webster as FBI director in 1978, I gave him a copy of our committee report and told him to read it before he did anything else,” recalled Vice President Walter Mondale in his memoir, referencing the Church Committee’s investigation into FBI and CIA abuses. “I think it had an impact on his tenure.”
Webster led the FBI for nearly a decade, stabilizing the bureau after years of turmoil. He shifted priorities from traditional crimes like bank robberies to issues of political corruption, illegal drugs, and espionage. Notably, he oversaw the infamous Abscam sting operation, which caught seven lawmakers accepting bribes. Despite cries of entrapment, Webster defended the operation, stating, “Undercover work is an indispensable tool in certain kinds of cases.” He also expanded efforts to increase diversity within the bureau, recruiting more Black, Hispanic, and female agents.
In 1987, President Ronald Reagan tapped Webster to lead the CIA, where he inherited an agency mired in controversy following the Iran-Contra affair. The secret U.S. effort to fund Nicaraguan rebels through arms sales to Iran had rocked the intelligence community. According to a 2008 report by the Center for the Study of Intelligence, Webster was seen as a leader with “uncompromising integrity.” He disciplined several CIA officers for their roles in the scandal, including those who withheld information from Congress. His actions helped restore public trust in the agency—no small feat at a time when faith in American intelligence was at a low ebb.
Webster’s tenure at the CIA coincided with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Persian Gulf War, events that reshaped the global order. Upon leaving the CIA in 1991, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Reflecting on his time in intelligence, Webster once said, “Whatever the outcome, I am convinced that the most important ingredient is professional respect and mutual trust. No laws can make these happen.”
Throughout his career, Webster was known for his unwavering commitment to the rule of law. In a 2019 New York Times op-ed, he criticized then-President Donald Trump for attacking the FBI’s credibility, writing, “Calling F.B.I. professionals ‘scum,’ as the president did, is a slur against people who risk their lives to keep us safe.” He added, “The rule of law is the principle that protects every American from the abuse of monarchs, despots and tyrants.”
Webster’s influence extended beyond his official tenures. He chaired the Homeland Security Advisory Committee from 2005 to 2020 and was called upon by the FBI to conduct critical reviews, such as the investigation into double agent Robert Hanssen in 2001 and the review of the Fort Hood shooting in 2009. He even made headlines in 2014 when he and his wife, Lynda Clugston Webster, helped thwart a phone scammer who unwittingly targeted the intelligence veteran.
In 2002, Webster briefly served as the first chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, established in the wake of corporate scandals like Enron and WorldCom. However, he resigned after just one month amid controversy over his prior role on an audit committee that had been warned of accounting irregularities. The political fallout led to the resignation of then-SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt.
Webster’s leadership style was often described as visionary yet humble. Former FBI Director Christopher Wray, in a statement to CNN, called him “a giant—not only in the history of our nation’s security, but in the hearts of all who believe in public service grounded in integrity and principle.” Wray added, “His legacy will endure—not only in the institutions he guided, but in the generations of public servants he inspired to carry the torch forward.”
Former President George W. Bush also weighed in, saying, “His passion for the rule of law and for the greatness of America made him a model public servant—and earned him the unique distinction of being the only person to have directed both the CIA and FBI.”
Webster was not shy about voicing his concerns over political interference in intelligence agencies. During the Trump administration, he publicly opposed the nominations of Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard for top intelligence posts, warning that “loyalty to individuals rather than the rule of law—a dangerous precedent for an agency tasked with impartial enforcement of justice.”
He was predeceased by his first wife, Drusilla Lane Webster, and is survived by his second wife, Lynda Clugston Webster, three children, seven grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren. His family, in their announcement, said, “We are proud of the extraordinary man we had in our lives who spent a lifetime fighting to protect his country and its precious rule of law.”
As the nation prepares to bid farewell to one of its most distinguished public servants, William H. Webster’s life serves as a reminder that integrity and respect for the rule of law are not merely ideals—they are the bedrock of American democracy.