William O. Bittman, 69, a Washington trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor who was involved in a number of celebrated and politically charged cases, including the prosecution of Teamsters president James R. Hoffa and the defense of President Ronald Reagan's first secretary of labor, died of cancer March 1 at his home in Potomac.

Mr. Bittman was a partner in the Washington law firm of Reed, Smith, Shaw & McClay, where he specialized in corporate litigation. A stocky, square-jawed six-footer who had been captain of the Marquette University football team, he had a commanding courtroom presence and a reputation for knowing the ways of Washington's power structure. An opponent once said he combined "the zeal of a crusader" with that of "a grand inquisitor."

He made his reputation as an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago in the 1960s, when he successfully prosecuted Hoffa and eight other defendants on charges of stealing from the Teamsters pension fund. As the case unfolded, he spoke frequently with Robert F. Kennedy, the attorney general, who had led earlier investigations of Hoffa's activities. He also received threats from Hoffa associates and was placed under guard by U.S. marshals.

At the close of the 13-week trial, which involved 150 witnesses and 15,000 documents, Hoffa was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison.

In 1965, with the Hoffa trial over, Kennedy transferred Mr. Bittman to the Justice Department in Washington. His assignment was to lead the investigation and subsequent prosecution of Robert G. "Bobby" Baker, the secretary of the U.S. Senate and a protege of President Lyndon B. Johnson's.

Baker was accused of fraud and tax evasion in connection with illegally pocketed campaign contributions. He was defended by famed Washington trial lawyer Edward Bennett Williams. Witnesses in the case included Rep. Wilbur Mills (D-Ark.), who was chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and seven U.S. senators. Final arguments in the case were moved to the large ceremonial courtroom of the U.S. Courthouse in Washington to accommodate the press of lawyers, news media and members of the public who wished to attend.

When Williams finished his summation, Mr. Bittman told the jurors they had just heard "the greatest argument by the greatest lawyer." He added, "All I have is the facts."

The verdict was guilty, and Baker served 16 months of a three-year sentence.

Over the years, Mr. Bittman's clients included E. Howard Hunt, a figure in the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon; and Raymond J. Donovan, Reagan's first secretary of labor, who was acquitted of larceny and fraud charges.

Hunt was convicted for assisting five operatives of Nixon's reelection committee who broke into the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate office building for the purpose of planting listening devices. The scandal consisted of the gradual unraveling of the White House's efforts to cover up its involvement in the burglary.

Donovan, a former construction company executive, was indicted by a grand jury in the Bronx, N.Y., in 1985 for his role in an alleged kickback scheme involving a minority contractor. He had already been cleared by a special prosecutor and had testified before a New York grand jury at his own request, but he resigned from Reagan's Cabinet to defend himself. During the trial, which lasted nine months in 1986 and 1987, Mr. Bittman accused the Bronx district attorney of bringing the case against his client for political gain.

The jury returned a verdict of innocent on its first ballot, and Donovan rhetorically asked: "Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?"

William Omar Bittman was born in Milwaukee. He served in the Navy for two years during the Korean War. In 1956, he graduated from Marquette University, where he was a linebacker on the football team. In 1959, he graduated with honors from DePaul University's law school in Chicago. His first job was with the U.S. attorney's office.

After the close of the Baker case in 1967, Mr. Bittman joined the Washington law firm of Hogan & Hartson. He remained there until 1974, when he joined Pierson, Ball & Dowd. In 1988, the firm merged with Reed, Smith, Shaw & McClay.

In 1989, Mr. Bittman was named one of the nation's top trial lawyers by the National Law Journal. In 1991, the publication named him one of the nation's top white-collar criminal defense experts.

Mr. Bittman was a member of the Judicature Society, the Congressional Country Club and the Burning Tree Club. He also was a member of the John Carroll Society and Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Potomac, where he was a lector.

Survivors include his wife of 44 years, the former Carole Chiletti, of Potomac; seven children, Michael J. Bittman and Beth Bittman McGee, both of Orlando, Barbara Bittman Jensen of Gaithersburg, William O. Bittman Jr. and Carrie Bittman, both of Washington, Julie Bittman of Potomac and Robert J. Bittman of Chevy Chase, a former assistant to Kenneth Starr, the special prosecutor who investigated President Bill Clinton; two brothers; and 11 grandchildren.

Copyright 2001 The Washington Post