F. Emmett Fitzpatrick Jr. (March 20, 1930 – September 2, 2014) was an American politician, attorney and professor. A noted criminal defense attorney, he served as the District Attorney of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between 1974 and 1978.

Early life and education

Fitzpatrick was born and raised in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and received his BA in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from

Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a Private university, private Jesuits, Jesuit university in Philadelphia, Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Jesuits, Society of J ...

(then known as Saint Joseph's College) in 1952. He received his

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Carey Law, or Penn Law; previously University of Pennsylvania Law School) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Phi ...

in 1955.

Professional career

Fitzpatrick initially gained notoriety through his representation of defendants in several high-profile federal criminal cases, including

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was e ...

-related prosecutions.

District attorney's office

He served as an assistant district attorney from 1956 through 1962, and as first assistant district attorney from 1962 through 1966. In 1973, he was recruited by

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Democratic Party leaders to run against incumbent Republican District Attorney

Arlen Specter Arlen Specter (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was an American lawyer, author and politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1981 to 2011. Specter was a Democrat from 1951 to 1965, then a Republican fr ...

. He went on to win the election handily, and took office the following January. During his tenure as district attorney, he sought to shake up the day-to-day operations of the office, whose perceived ineffectiveness was a major theme of his campaign against Specter. Fitzpatrick was, however, the subject of several ethics-related complaints during his time as district attorney. Critics questioned the handling of a cocktail party held after Fitzpatrick's election in which attorneys who may have had future dealings with the district attorney's office paid $50 to attend. All proceeds from the reception went to Fitzpatrick, and the matter was recommended to the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as the "Supreme Court" of Pennsylvania were made offici ...

's disciplinary board for investigation. Fitzpatrick was also criticized for sentence recommendations he made as district attorney for individuals he had previously defended while in private practice. In the 1977 Democratic primary, he was defeated for renomination by

Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American politician, author, and former prosecutor who served as the 45th governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011. He previously served as chair of the national Democratic Party from 1999 to 2 ...

, who campaigned against perceived corruption within the district attorney's office, and went on to win the general election.

Post-political career

After his defeat, Fitzpatrick taught numerous educational seminars and an advanced trial techniques course at the

Widener University School of Law Widener University Delaware Law School (Delaware Law School and formerly Widener University School of Law) is a private law school in Wilmington, Delaware. It is one of two separate ABA-accredited law schools of Widener University. Widener Un ...

. He also testified as a legal expert in various court proceedings and appeared frequently as a legal commentator on radio and television programs, including

WPVI WPVI-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Owned and operated by the ABC television network through its ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on City Avenue in the ...

's ''Inside Story''. Fitzpatrick also went-on to found his own law firm, based in Philadelphia. He died in a nursing home in

Cape May Court House, New Jersey Cape May Court House is an Local government in New Jersey#Unincorporated communities, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Middle Township, New Jersey, Middle Township in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape M ...

, on September 2, 2014. He had Alzheimer's disease for four years.Moran, Robert (September 3, 2014)
"F. Emmett Fitzpatrick Jr., 84, former district attorney"
''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

''.

Portrayal in the media

In the 2019 film ''

The Irishman ''The Irishman'' (also known as ''I Heard You Paint Houses'') is a 2019 American epic gangster film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Steven Zaillian, based on the 2004 book '' I Heard You Paint Houses'' by Charl ...

'', Fitzpatrick is portrayed by

Stephen Mailer Stephen McLeod Mailer (born March 10, 1966) is an American stage and screen actor. Early life Mailer was born in New York City, the son of novelist Norman Mailer and stage actress Beverly Bentley. Career Mailer's credits include appearanc ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzpatrick, F. Emmett 1930 births 2014 deaths People from Middle Township, New Jersey Politicians from Philadelphia Saint Joseph's University alumni Widener University faculty University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni District attorneys of Philadelphia Pennsylvania Democrats Lawyers from Philadelphia 20th-century American lawyers