Philip B. Heymann, who served four Democratic presidents over six decades, mostly in the Justice Department, and who helped prosecute major investigations including Watergate and the Abscam bribery sting operation, died Nov. 30 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 89.

Mr. Heymann served in the Kennedy, Johnson, Carter and Clinton administrations in a series of political appointments. His last role was as deputy attorney general, the second in command, in the Clinton Justice Department under Attorney General Janet Reno.

In a 2019 interview for this obituary, his daughter had asked him what he wanted to be remembered for. “He said, ‘Speaking truth to power,’” she said. “He believed in government service. And even though he held positions of consequence, he saw himself as a civil servant. He believed that we all contribute to our government.”