Dwight Lee Chapin served as White House appointment secretary for President Richard M. Nixon from 1969 to 1973. Chapin played a part in the political scandals that came to be called Watergate, yet he did not have a role in the burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972. Instead, Chapin coordinated political "dirty tricks" during the 1972 presidential campaign by hiring Donald Segretti to subvert and harass Democratic presidential candidates.

Chapin was born in 1940 in Wichita, Kansas. As a young man he became involved in Republican politics in California. He worked on Nixon's unsuccessful 1962 campaign for governor while attending the University of Southern California. After graduating in 1963, he joined the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency in Los Angeles. He transferred to the company's New York headquarters in 1965 but left in 1967 to become a personal aide to Nixon, who had himself relocated to New York City.

Chapin worked on Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign and was rewarded with the position of appointment secretary. Serving under chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, Chapin was part of Nixon's trusted inner circle. In 1972, with Nixon preparing for his reelection campaign, Chapin hired California attorney Donald Segretti to play political tricks and pranks on Democratic presidential candidates. After Segretti's name was found in the address book of one of the Watergate burglars, Chapin's involvement soon became known. Chapin testified before a grand jury and denied knowledge of Segretti's activities. He was charged and convicted of perjury and sentenced from 10 to 20 months in prison.