Frank Caprio (judge)
Judge Frank Caprio (born November 23, 1936) is the television judge on ABC's Caught in Providence. He is also the chief municipal judge in Providence, Rhode Island[1] and a member of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Board of Rejents.[1]
Judge Frank Caprio is the son of Antonio (Tup) Caprio, an immigrant from Teano, Italy and Filomena Caprio. As a youngster he worked with his father on his milkman route while attending the Providence, Rhode Island public schools, where he was an All-State wrestler at Central High School. He later graduated from Providence College with a degree in political science. He was a civics teacher at Hope High School in Providence while simultaneously attending Suffolk University Law School (evening division) in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been a member of the Rhode Island state bar[citation needed] and federal bars[citation needed] since 1965.
Judge Frank Caprio is currently the Chief Judge of the Providence Municipal Court.[1] He was appointed in 1985,[2] and has been re-appointed six times by the mayor of Providence and the Providence City Council.[citation needed] Judge Caprio also serves as the Chairman of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education,[3] directing the $600 million annual budget and major decisions of the public colleges and universities in the state. Three successive Rhode Island governors have appointed Caprio to this board. He also is a member of the Rhode Island Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education.[1] He has recently gained local fame for his television hit “Caught in Providence” which airs on the ABC affiliate in Providence showing the unedited proceedings of the Providence Municipal Court.[4]
In 1960, at the age of 23 Caprio upset a thirty-year incumbent council president in the race for city councilman of Providence’s thirteenth ward where he served until 1970.[citation needed] Frank Caprio was also campaign manager for the successful Lt. Governor races of J. Joseph Garrahy and Thomas DiLiugio, in 1968 and 1976 respectively.[citation needed] Caprio was a Democratic candidate for Rhode Island attorney general in 1970 and mayor of Providence in 1978.[5]
 |
This section contains information which may be of unclear or questionable importance or relevance to the article's subject matter. Please help improve this article by clarifying or removing superfluous information. |
In 1980 and 1984, Caprio, an elected Delegate, brought his then teenage sons Frank and David to the Democratic National Conventions in New York City and San Francisco.[citation needed] In 2003, Caprio was the officiate at a wedding,[6] and in 2010, he was serving as a judge on the Providence municipal court.[7]
Judge Caprio is also a senior partner at the Providence law firm Caprio & Caprio which he founded;[1] a partner in the landmark Coast Guard House restaurant in Narragansett, Rhode Island and Casey's restaurant in Wakefield, Rhode Island.[5] He received an honorary Doctor of Laws from his alma mater Suffolk University Law School in 1991, received an honorary degree from his alma mater Providence College in 2008 and was the commencement speaker at the University of Rhode Island throughout the past decade.[citation needed] He has established scholarships in his father's name at Suffolk University Law School and Central High School (Providence, Rhode Island) for top students that come from 1st generation immigrant families.[2]
He is married to Joyce Caprio.[2] They have five children, including sons state Senator Frank T. Caprio and state Representative David Caprio.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Rhodes Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Board of Regents listing of Board of Governors
- ^ a b c University of Rhode Island announcement about Caprio being a commencement speaker
- ^ Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education bios
- ^ Imdb listing for Caught in Providence
- ^ a b March 2, 2006 Boston Phoenix article on the Caprio family
- ^ "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Jody Kaplan, Andrew Ro". The New York Times. September 7, 2003. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/07/style/weddings-celebrations-jody-kaplan-andrew-ro.html. Retrieved 2010-12-07. ". Judge Frank Caprio of the Providence, R.I., Municipal Court is to officiate at Bella Vista, a restaurant there."
- ^ Michelle R. Smith, Associated Press Writer (October 19, 2010). "RI gov candidate Chafee turns tax tables on Caprio". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/10/19/ri_gov_candidate_chafee_turns_tax_tables_on_caprio/. Retrieved 2010-12-07. "And the state Ethics Commission said it would not pursue a complaint against Caprio's father, Judge Frank Caprio."
