Mark Felt Biography

William Mark Felt Sr. (August 17, 1913 – December 18, 2008) was a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent and the Bureau's Associate Director, the FBI's second-highest-ranking post, from May 1972 until his retirement from the FBI in June 1973. During his time as Associate Director, Felt served as an anonymous informant, nicknamed "Deep Throat," to reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post. He provided them with critical information about the Watergate scandal, a scandal which ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in 1974. Though Felt's identity as Deep Throat was strongly suspected by some in Washington, including Nixon himself, and was speculated by many others, it generally remained a secret for the next 30 years. In 2005, Felt finally acknowledged that he was Deep Throat, after being persuaded by his daughter to reveal his identity.