se of the things that has made fus feel badly in the last ysis that we could never re>> time when he ever asked us to protect him. It was al:he wther way around," the the light from Washington, und guy talk and study of og hunks were absent. The ent roamed the plane anul visnetly and somberly traveling party included Al General Janet Henn, Sens Jumpers and Davul Iyor of 13. White House Counsel rd Nussbaum, his assistant Kennedy 111, and most of if of his office • present were Associate Al· General Webster Ilubhell, House Personnel Diretor Lindy White Iluuse Chief of Thurnas F. "Mack" McLarty mer Kep Beryl Anthony of 1403. le Mr Clinton's wife, Hillary. aughter, Chelsea, listened in ጥ the front ruve, the president ankt: "We me Vince some things, you mind I Wame it to him to make mire that he will never he evaluated by how his life ended, but by hand it was hed." He said the Chun and Foster families were close and often socialtred, "listening in music and drinkwie spirits and being incredibly Milly" He closed his remarks with a refFrence to Leon Russell, the late-dis rock musician: "In Russell wrote a wig in which he sand, 'I love you in a place that has no space or time. I bove you for my life. You are a friend " well, my friend, and Got spavel." After the ecumenical service, the Nar: drapel culfm was taken on a two hour procession in a quiet burial in Ilupe, Ark., the hometern of Mr. Foster and the president. Before arriving at the cemetery, the procession stopped in the nowLaled neighborhood where the two men played as hoys. Reporters, who were allowed in stand across the street Iron the church during the funeral, were kept fat from the brief burial service. Mr. Fuster, 48, the father of three children, had been lauded by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as "une of best mud brightest." Ile graduated with honors from Davidson College, fmished at the top of his class at the University of Arkansas School of Law, was first on the state har esam, became a partner in the Rose Law Firm in two years and was considered one of the state's leading lingators. His body was found Tuesday ni Fort Marcy, Mclenn purk that overlooks the Potomac River. Police d be apparently shot himself. No motive for suicide has sur face. Mr. Foster had a role in some of the admistratum's early endur rassments with noninations and the White House travel office but was not held responsible for them. White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers said there will be a "ronttime" Investigation into the case by U.S. Purk Police and the FT. "I think the Justice Department will just look agam at the circum stances to make sure there wasn't Buy evalence of foul play or my obvious motive, like blackmail," she Bakl. OSTER " page Al verbend in Maryland's Fastern with his family and the family Cute Atturmy General Wh Hubbell as evidence he was of the effects of his 12-hour-aseven-day-a-week work sched think Vince said he was tired aught in take a little time oil,” and. Mil yesterday administrati ∙als hul brushed all sugr that Air Fister sent signals of at his desk Thalay and left work t 1pm, five hours before his death. "I'w trul very hard to as cribe mutives. It's not for us pastility tolo, Miss Myers said yesterday. "And second, there was a reason to In there he was spankent" Soon after the sing. While House Communications Director Alark Cenran dismissed anecdotes alut changes in Mr. Foster's de meanor and sald several times the deputy counsel never heated to colleagues "anything was cast of the In Jinary" Air Clinton's comments Wednes dary about the death, in public and t a private all merting, suprestal have been troubled. "I also encouraged the staff in remember that we're all people and that we have to pay maybe a little wwre attentator friends and ener familes mul or co-won hers and try to remember that work can newr lu the only thing in life, and a little bu mility in the face of this is very, very important," Mr (Intan said. The president al sail he didn't think Air. Foster blame himself for things that went wrong; in the administratum's first six months, an obser vation contradicted from many sules. The Wall Street Journal repeatally has onested the hometry the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock. The other former partners are first Indy Hillary Rodham Chatom, Mir Hubbanul Associate White Thane Commet Wilham Kennedy III. "1. thuch these tes are entirely appropriate, and presume there will be occasion to return l them in the future. If anything. Mr Foster's tragic death adds to the curiosity," the Journal said in a Thursday editorial. "I me and most people, it feditorial crificium sermed the normal course of things You know I'm stranger to press criticism," Mess Myers said. Acorn In The Ti OSTER had attended Mr Clint's an mof the nominatum of J. Freeh to head the Fill and ined Air. Nussbaum to watch levised start of Senate hearor Supreme Conce Bader Gasburg the hndy was discovered by it was clothed in lie, shirts and suit pants It was beside amental cannon at a l'olonLIC overlook in Fort Marcy Park, the George Washington Park- McLean ast clear if Mr. Foster tried act other family members, inhis sister, Avustant Attorney all Sheila Foster Anthony, chief -Departinent lobbyist. 2e wummoned by an anoncaller made the first tentaCentification tuum a White Folder in a matching suit cod his gray-brown 1989 Niss : bansas tags, parked near by. have no nudne for it It halErjone." wnd Alaj. Robert 4 the US Park Police alter ays autopsy bacology rend other medical tests will feast a few days, he said. inion was visibly stricken Foster's death, the second send in die by a self inflicted : Oxford roommate Frank hot himself in 1971, at Spo ash, in the confused after a draft evasion case. de is rare among high publie - Former Defense Secretary orrestal was the last rankcial known to kill himself, from a window 44 years ago Bethesda Naval Hospital. y Hodhain Cluton, who was Rock, wantified of Mr. Jeath at 940 pm in a call -McLarty, who waited about s longer to let Mr Chinton Interview on "Larry King e breabulg the news. months at the Whie IS, relative anonymity wore became Inked political cal mistakes including aces for attorney general Cabinet posts as well as tacprobe and firing of seven THE ONES came the focus of running tary in the Wall Street Jour hurled its June 17 lendedho is Vince Fuster?" and at led a demand for his plu Inder the Freedom of Infor 181 Parts focused on the power hat they called a "fourLunt into government Rose Law Firm in Luttle were Air. Foster worked for er former partners are the whain Air Foster rekose lor a 17-year stay friend, ASSOCIDIO Ateneral Webster Hubbell, Lite White House Counsel Kennedy III. nnedy was reprimanded in tions carried out at the of Mr. Foster during the ice investigation. Mr Fes ut included among those Jisciplined, and the pres hied such rough patches 1 to his suicide. think so I certainly don' : can explain it, and I cer I think its accurate," Mr. M. Vincent Foster Jr. (left), his wife, Lisa, and the Clinions attend a theater opening in Little Rock, Ark., on Oct. 12, 1988, Mr. Fostor, the No. 2 lawyer at the White House, diod Tuesday in a Viagra park in an apparent suickle. Hillary loses longtime friend, investment partner, in suicide By Michael Hedges Vincent Foster, the deputy White House counsel who committed sui cule Tuesday, was more than a friend to the Clintons, he was a longtime Irviness partner of Hillary Rodham Clinton. In 1983 Mr. Foster, Mrs. Clinton and Webster Hlublell, associate director of the Justice Department and close Clinton adviser, approached a Little Rock, Ark, stock biker about starting a partnership called Midlife Investments, a partnership that apparently still existed at the time of Alr. Foster's death. "I was working at EF Hunton In Little Rock, and the three of them appranched me alunt setting up a partnership," said Ruy Drew, now Investment consultant in Little Rock. "They each put up about" $15,000, as I recall," he said. The Clintons' joint tax returns showed that Mrs. Clinton was a partner in Midlife Investments from 19 until at least the end of 1991. The adhes listed for the partner slup in the Clinton tax returns was the Rose Law Firm, the unthuential firm where all three of the partners worked. The business relationship is one more Indication of the special ties anning there who worked for the Hose Law Firm, considered the must powerful legal organization in Arkansas and one with complicated business interests. White House spokesmen had no direct information on the partner ship yesterday "They are in the process of setting up a blind trust. It Iakes a long while to do it, so it's not accomplished yet Ricki Sexdinan is Mrs. Clinton, said when asked about Mrs. Clinton's financial hekhngs, Mr. Lattimore and that her cur rent holdings are unchanged fr recent filings, that nothing has been sold or acquired. Herb Rule, a senior partner at the firm who recruited Mr. Foster to work there in 1970, unid he hund only recently learned of Mullife Invest ments, and asumed it was solely a stock buying partnership. Mr. Rule sand Mr. Foster, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Hubbell worked closely gether at the law firm and were good friends. Ile and he had not known the group was using the law firm as the mailing address for their partnership but suggested it was done because they spent time in common at the firm According to the Clintons' Inx returns, a fourth person joined the partnership after it was formed. Tax returns reflected that the partner ship newer virbled nowh never much more than that. That surprised Mr. Thew "They hought lots of shares in several com pames Firestone Tire and Du nd Shamrock are two that I recall," he sand. "The whole thing seemed spir rally to me from the start. Most prople, if they have $15,000 to invest, they go alone, they don't go to two other friends and say, let's get in this together," Mr Dew sand. At the time Mr Hubbell's appoint inent was being reviewed by the Sen ate Judiciary Committee, stall inves tigadors for both Democrats and Republicans called Mr Drew and inquired about Mr. Hubbell's stock denlings Mr. Drew said he told them about the partnership mvolvmg: Mrs. Olm Jon and Mr. Fuster and was tall the committee was interested in that. The committer mvestigators who Inked with Mr Drew refused to dry cuss the matter yesterday Mr Brew said that shortly after the Mullife Investment partnership was formed, Mr Hubbell contacted him planit buying stuck in a commy called Arkla, then selling for al SIX a share. He said that within days of that purchase in April 1981, Mrs. Clinton called him and asked him how Arkla stock was perfor may, but made no panchase of it. The value of the Ark In stock rose steadily after the Hubbell purchase to a high of $5,6? a share on June 6, 11, about a month and a hall alter Mr. Hubbell bright it, Mr Drew said At that point, he said, Mr Hubbell sold 300 shares. On July 19, 19.1, Mr. Hubbell sadd the remain shares nt $24.50. Mr. Hubbell made a $1,500 sent Foster Jr on, hs wife, Lisa and the Clintons attend a theater opening in Little Rock Ark., on Oct. 12, 1988 Foster, the No 2 lawyer as the Whine House ded Tuesday in a Vegan sucide, One of the Golden Boys Lifelong Friend Had Been Clinton's 'Rock of Gibraltar' Tuesday should have been a banner day The Supreme Court nominee he had 1- "We hit two home runs," an ebullient ute House counsel Bernard Nusshaum 6 Foster when the deputy counsel walked Nussbaum's office shortly after nnon. Foster, in his typical low-key fashion, st sort of smiled," Nussbaum recalled derday. "And I said, 'I'll see you later." 4 that's the last time I saw Vince." nstead of celebrating, Foster ate lunch e at his desk, left the White House and se to a Virginia park where police said shot himself in the head. Yesterday, as y struggled to make sense of what Pres it Clinton described as the "mystery ut something inside of him that drove ter to take his own life, hielong friends new White House colleagues were amous in their view that Foster was the person they would have expected to mut suicide. For more years than most of us like to it, in times of difficulty he was normally Rock of Gibraltar while other people : having trouble," an ashen-faced Clinold reporters yesterday. "No one coul remember the reverse being the case." Little Rock Lawyer Joe l'urvis, a since chikdinal, "Vince was very the rule of reason. He was not given thing rash, quick judgments.... Vince t do wild and crazy things." a shelf in his West Wing office, Foster a photograph of three children at a day party long ago the president, : Ilouse Chief of Staff Thomas F. McLarty and Foster. Like his hoyfriends, Foster-3 lew years olderne of the golden boys of Ilope. father was successful in real estate , and Vincent Jr.-so tall and thin lus called him "pencil-was presude an was first in his class at the University ansas Law School. Hut, as he recalled he gave the commencement address 3. he skipped his own graduation to in the gown rental and go straight to job in Little Kock. He scored first in ite on the bar exam, made partner at ne law lum in a mere two years, he leader of the bar and an idol to the er lawyers at the fur. Foster told a newspaper several years ago that he had "always fantasized going off to the mountains of Colorado and writing s great novel in seclusion," but his real life was that of a successful corporate litigator, with a blue-chip client list and a six-figure income. "I would call him one of the most compassionate, ethical lawyers I have ever known," said Gloria Cabe, a former top Clinton aide in Arkansas and a friend of Foster's for 15 years. She described him as a man with an okl-fashioned, southern lawyer's sense of propriety. Foster was a perfectionist and very much a detail man," Purvis sand. "Anything Vince would do would be done, and it would be done right." In Washington, Foster for the first time in his life confronted intense and sustained criticism as the White House in general and the counsel's office in particular endured a series of damaging events-from the chfficulties of selecting an attorney general to the controversy over the firing of the White House travel office stall. During his first six weeks on the job, Fuster-already a slender man-lost 12 pounds. "He probably was more sensitive to the criticisms than nurst, sad one close friend. While other Arkansans had had experience in public hle, this friend said, "Vince had bren the quiet, behind-the-scenes Lawyer.... I just think that it bothered him. He took things very personally, and probably much more personally than anybody even chne to him realized." In an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in April, he said he did not have a full appreciation of the variety of issues that the office would face nor the time demands. "It is more challenging and more exciting than I anticipated." Like other White House staffers, he complained good-naturedly about the grocting hours that kept him away from his wife, Lisa, and their three children. But friends said he seemed to be deriving some pleasure of what he described as his new "adventure." Purvis recalled Foster telling him about his feeling on leaving the White Ilouse at the end of a typical 12-hr day. "Ile saul he'd he worn and he'd kwk hack and here's the White House at night lighted up," Purvis recalled. "And it wohl hit hem where incredible the whole thing was and how he was and what he was doing and just how hocky he was." Hot Purvis, in the April interview with Staff wriker Dan Ila contributed to this |