Ed Meese
Reagan Attorney General Ed Meese

I can remember when he was sworn in as governor. The previous governor had been making all sorts of judicial appointments and other appointments right down to the very end of his term. So to signify the fact that there was a change, Governor-elect Reagan decided that he and the lieutenant governor would be sworn in at midnight at the very first hour that they could to symbolize that his predecessor couldn't do any more damage. And Senator George Murphy, who was also a movie actor, was there. When Reagan started his remarks after being sworn in by one of the justices, the new governor turned to Senator Murphy and said, "Well Murph, here we are on the late show again," which got a big laugh. But I think the great thing about Ronald Reagan is that he took his work seriously, he took his job seriously, but he didn't take himself seriously, which was an endearing quality as far as people were concerned.