American Chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, nominated by President Bill Clinton in July 1993. Freeh achieved success as a high-profile FBI agent, federal prosecutor and federal judge for the U.S. government.
He was raised a Roman Catholic, a former altar boy and the son of a realtor in North Bergen, New Jersey. He went to law school at Rutgers University and received his degree in 1974. Discovering his flair for investigative work, he became an FBI agent in 1975.
On the streets, Freeh was known as “Mad Dog” for his tenacity and persistence on his cases. He led some high-profile investigations such as the “pizza connection” case, a crime of drug trafficking around neighborhood pizzerias. His abilities to handle complex government cases as a federal prosecutor and judge in Manhattan were noted by his superiors, leading to his nomination to head the FBI.
The relationship between the FBI and the White House has been a rocky one. The FBI investigation into Chinese campaign contributions to the Clinton-Gore re-election campaign and FBI files on the GOP candidates found in the White House has caused much stress between the two departments. Speculation over whether Freeh would resign his $136,700 a year position was rampant in 1997. Freeh’s friends speak in high praise of his strong ethics and principles. Clinton’s Attorney General, Janet Reno, commented on Freeh’s ability to never shout or show emotion when upset. “But he has a temper,” she says, “like a brick wall.” His critics judge his administrative style as one that harkens back to the old bureau days of cronyism and cover-ups. The Washington Post calls Freeh the “Genghis Khan of turf grabbers.”
In actuality, the working relationships between the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the CIA have never been closer. A no-frills, unpretentious man with an impish sense of humor Freeh insists on being called “Louie.” On his first visit to New York as head of the FBI, agents showed him to his suite at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, which has been reserved for the nation’s top G-man since the days of J. Edgar Hoover. Freeh immediately checked out of the hotel upon seeing it, opting instead to stay in a single room in a small hotel.
A devoted private family man, he and his wife Marilyn have six sons. The oldest boy was born in 1985, and the fifth son in the summer of 1996. On 2/05/1998, Marilyn gave birth to their sixth son, Colin Michael. Freeh took paternity leave from the FBI to be with his family. He has reluctantly learned to adapt to Washington customs of attending charity events and meetings to present reports. He prefers to spend his time with his family.
Freeh left his position with the FBI two years short of his ten-year term in early 2001. With college tuition for his six sons in mind, he planned to take higher-paying employment in the private sector.
Link to Wikipedia biography