Long before either was appointed to the Supreme Court, William Rehnquist had asked Sandra Day O’Connor to marry him.
Rehnquist had been dating O’Connor, who was then Sandra Day, while they attended Stanford Law School in the early 1950s. But she later broke up with him, even though they continued to study together.
Their relationship is detailed in a new book, “First” by Evan Thomas, which is set for release in March 2019, according to NPR.
NPR reported Rehnquist graduated a semester early. In a letter to her parents, Day wrote that school “does not seem the same” without him. And she added: “He certainly has a brilliant career ahead."
Just months after leaving O’Connor behind at school, Rehnquist wrote her saying he want to see her to talk about “important things.”
"To be specific, Sandy, will you marry me this summer?" he said in another letter.
The Rehnquist letters were discovered by author Thomas while researching his book, NPR said.
Day, who already was dating John O’Connor, turned him down. She ended up marrying O’Connor in 1952. A year later, Rehnquist married Nan Cornell.
But O’Connor and Rehnquist remained close friends throughout the years. Rehnquist is said to have privately suggested O’Connor to President Ronald Reagan as a possible Supreme Court nominee in 1981, NPR said.
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