Thomas Aquinas Foran (January 11, 1924 – August 6, 2000)[1] was a United States Attorney best known as the chief prosecutor in the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial in which seven defendants, including Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, David Dellinger, Rennie Davis, and Tom Hayden, were charged with inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Foran also prosecuted several police officers caught on film beating the protestors with clubs.
Tom Foran | |
|---|---|
| United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois | |
| In office 1968–1969 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Edward Hanrahan |
| Succeeded by | William J. Bauer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Aquinas Foran January 11, 1924 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 6, 2000 (aged 76) Lake Forest, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | College of the Holy Cross Loyola University, Chicago (BA) University of Detroit (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Early life and education
editForan was born in Chicago, Illinois, on January 11, 1924.[2] His parents were a physician and former high school teacher. He attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and St. Ignatius High School and began studying at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.[3] He interrupted his college education to serve as a torpedo bomber pilot in the Pacific in World War II.[2] After the war, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Loyola University Chicago and received his law degree at the University of Detroit School of Law in 1950.[4] He married Jean Foran and the couple had six children.[1]
Legal career
editForan was a senior partner in Foran & Schultz (formerly Foran, Wiss & Schultz), the firm he founded in 1957.[5] The other senior partners were Robert E. Wiss, who died in 1995, and Richard G. Schultz.[6][7] In private practice, he established a reputation as an expert in eminent domain law, representing the city of Chicago in major public works projects, but he also acted as counsel for property owners.[5] Foran became an assistant corporate counsel for Chicago in 1962.[4]
U.S. Attorney
editForan was appointed a United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois in 1968 with the support of the Chicago mayor, Richard M. Daley.[4] He professionalized the office and shifted the office away from patronage.[8] While in this role, he successfully prosecuted more than 150 organized crime figures, including Felix Alderisio, Jackie Cerone, Fiore Buccieri, Richard Cain and William Daddano. In 1969, he was the chief prosecutor of the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial which charged seven defendants, including Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, David Dellinger, Rennie Davis, and Tom Hayden, with inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.[1] He was later censured by a United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit panel "for their open hostility toward the defendants and their failure to fulfill 'the standards of our system of justice'".[9]
Post-U.S. Attorney
editIn the 1970 special election, Foran was a campaign aide for Adlai Stevenson III.[10] In the 1980s, Tom Foran represented former Governor Dan Walker in his bank fraud case.[11]
Later life
editHe died of cancer in Lake Forest, Illinois, on August 6, 2000.[5][12]
In popular culture
editHarris Yulin played Foran in the 1987 film Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8, and in the animated 2007 film Chicago 10, Foran's voice was provided by Nick Nolte. He was portrayed by Steven Culp in the 2010 film The Chicago 8 and by J. C. MacKenzie in the 2020 film, The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Gary Houston played Foran in the 1992 stage adaptation from transcripts titled The Chicago Conspiracy Trial and produced by Remains Theatre in Chicago.
References
edit- ^ a b c Jackson, Harold (August 15, 2000). "Thomas Foran". The Guardian. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ a b "2001 Laureate Award Winners | Illinois State Bar Association". Illinois State Bar Association. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ "Thomas A. Foran, 76; Prosecuted Chicago 7 Trial, Civil Rights Cases". Chicago Tribune. 7 August 2000. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ a b c "Chicago Seven Prosecutor Thomas A. Foran". The Washington Post. August 11, 2000. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c Saxon, Wolfgang (August 11, 2000). "Thomas Foran, 76, U.S. Attorney Who Prosecuted Chicago Seven". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ "Robert E. Wiss". Chicago Tribune. October 24, 1995. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ Corfman, Thomas A. (December 7, 2000). "Ex-Prosecutor Foran's Law Firm to Close". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ Cleveland, Charles. "Big Jim: James R. Thompson is running for governor". Illinois Issues. 1 (10). Sangamon State University. ISSN 0738-9663. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ United States v. Dellinger, 472 F.2d 340 (7th Cir. 1972).
- ^ Blum, Shelley (December 2, 1970). "Living in the US of A" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. p. 2. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ McManus, Ed. "Walker's downfall: his holier-than-thou attitude". Illinois Issues. 14 (1). Sangamon State University. ISSN 0738-9663. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ "Thomas Foran; Prosecuted Chicago Seven". Los Angeles Times. August 12, 2000. Retrieved January 29, 2022.