Is Our Character Set in Cement? Chuck Colson’s Story Says No

In this installment of ‘When Character Counted,’ we meet Nixon’s ‘hatchet man’ who became a bringer of light to prisoners and countless others. 

In 2008, Charles “Chuck” W. Colson stands with President George W. Bush after being presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal. Public Domain

On June 21, 1974, a federal judge sentenced Charles “Chuck” Colson (1931–2012) to one to three years in prison for the Watergate-related crime of obstruction of justice regarding the case of Daniel Ellsberg. The attorney who was considered Richard Nixon’s “hatchet man,” Colson pled guilty—astonishing many Americans. Those in the media who despised Nixon were especially happy with his conviction.

But that surprise turned to shock when the trial ended and Colson addressed the members of the press from the courthouse steps. “What happened in court today was the court’s will and the Lord’s will—I have committed my life to Jesus Christ and I can work for him in prison as well as out.”