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Charles W. Colson, political operative and prison ministry founder, dies at 80

The Republican political operative who boasted he would “walk over my own grandmother” to ensure the reelection of President Richard M. Nixon went on to found a worldwide prison fellowship ministry after his conversion to evangelical Christianity.

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Feb. 23, 1971

Charles W. Colson helped lay the groundwork for the Nixon landslide of November 1972 by appealing to disgruntled Democrats and blue-collar minority voters. His involvement in orchestrating illegal activities to discredit former Pentagon official Daniel Ellsberg led to his conviction for obstruction of justice during the Watergate scandal.

Jim McNamara / The Washington Post

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