Richard Mueller discusses his early life and childhood as the son of sharecroppers in rural Spaulding, Nebraska, during the Great Depression and World War II years. He discusses his education in Nebraska as well as the year and a half he spent in the seminary in Little Rock, Arkansas, as how his colleagues approached the Civil Rights Movement. After leaving the seminary, Mueller served in the United States Army as a member of the 101st Airborne Division, leaving service before the escalation of the Vietnam War. After attending college and law school, he discusses his time as a prosecutor and attorney in the state of Washington. The interview culminates with Mueller discussing his career in the federal government, beginning as a hearing examiner for the Department of Health and Human Services and moving up the ranks of the Senior Executive Service to the second highest administrative law judicial position in the country. Highlights of this time include his work with Rep. Charlie Wilson’s office and interactions with Wilson himself.