Richard Kleindienst was born in Winslow, Arizona, on August 5, 1923, and served in the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII. Kleindienst attended the University of Arizona before going to war, finishing his education with a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University and graduating from Harvard Law School in 1950.

He was a senior partner of Shimmel, Hill, Kleindienst and Bishop (1958-1969). Kleindienst was also a member of the Arizona state House of Representatives (1953-54), chair of the Arizona Republicans (1956-60, 1962-63), and on the Republican National Committee from Arizona (1956-60, 1962-63).During the Nixon administration, he was the deputy U.S. attorney general (1969-1972) and the U.S. attorney general (1972-73). Richard G. Kleindienst died of lung cancer on February 3, 2000.