William C. Dodge
William Copeland Dodge (September 6, 1880 – August 4, 1973) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.
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[edit] Early life
He was born on September 6, 1880 Manchester, New Hampshire to Arthur Pillsbury Dodge (1849–1915) and Elizabeth Ann Day (1854–1927). The family moved to Chicago in 1891, and then to New York City in 1897. Dodge graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology, and from New York University School of Law. He was admitted to the bar in 1906. He later entered politics as a member of Tammany Hall where his patron was James Joseph Hines.
[edit] Political career
In 1918, he was elected to the New York State Senate (20th D.). As a State Senator he was active in urging an investigation of William Hamilton Anderson of the New York Anti-Saloon League. In December 1924, he was appointed by district attorney Joab H. Banton as an Assistant D.A. In 1927, he was appointed by Mayor James J. Walker as a city magistrate to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Norman J. Marsh.
In November 1933, Dodge was elected New York County District Attorney with promises to clean up the office by eliminating leaks. Leaks in the prosecution of racketeering cases had earlier led to intimidation of witnesses, thereby allowing more notable criminals to escape prosecution. His plan was to only provide the minimum information to the jury in order to receive an indictment.
[edit] Runaway grand jury
In 1934, a grand jury was convened for 11 months with minimal prosecutions to investigate gambling in the city. Charges were made that politicians were regularly fixing gambling cases. A memo by Mayor Fiorello Laguardia's office showed that between February 1 and September 30, 1934, 91% of the gambling cases brought by police never even came to trial and of those that did come to trial one third ended in fines usually under $50.
On March 4, 1935, he convened a grand jury to investigate gambling, and in particular the actions of Dutch Schultz. The grand jury spent its time with other cases and information on witnesses was being leaked. Grand jurors complained that only junior investigators were assigned to them. Gambling kingpins were quoted in the newspapers that they would never be indicted.
The jury complained in open court about the problems on May 7, 1935, which was widely reported by the city newspapers. On May 22, 1935, Dodge agreed to appoint a special prosecutor from a list prepared by the New York County Lawyers Association. He balked at Republican appointees because they were political, and appointed a compromise candidate H.H. Corbin proposed by former Republican Governor Nathan L. Miller despite objections by the jurors. When the juror objections were made public Corbin refused the appointment. The "runaway" grand jury disbanded in June complaining that the cases were not adequately being investigated.[1]
On June 24, 1935 Governor Herbert H. Lehman said a new investigation would occur. Of the four names that were put forth only Thomas E. Dewey accepted the task. Dewey rocketed to fame with his successful prosecution and defeated Dodge, who ran for re-election, in November 1937.
It remains unclear whether Dodge criminally profited from the events. It was revealed that Gangster Dutch Schultz paid $15,000 for his election. His patron Hines was quoted in his trial as saying Dodge was "stupid, respectable and my man". Dodge was never formally charged with any wrongdoing.
He died on August 4, 1973 in Lee, Florida.
[edit] References
- ^ Although the jury has been historically labeled with the pejorative adjective,"runaway," in exercising independence from the prosecutor, it was exercising its legal prerogative under common law. See Hugh Turley, "The Grand Jury," Hyattsville Life and Times, January 2007.
[edit] Further reading
- Arthur Pillsbury Dodge at Bahai Encyclopedia
- Fighting Organized Crime: Politics, Justice, and the Legacy of Thomas E. Dewey by Mary M. Stolberg (Northeastern, 1995, ISBN 1555532454 ; page 50)
- Kill the Dutchman! - The Story of Dutch Schultz by Paul Sann
- Little Flower: The Life and Times of Fiorello La Guardia by Lawrence Elliott (Morrow, 1983)
- ANTI-SALOON LEAGUE INQUIRY CALLED FOR in NYT on March 4, 1919
- Boy Hunter Uses His Belt as Tourniquet; Saves Life of Chum Shot on Hunting Trip, his son's shooting accident, in NYT on October 26, 1925
- DODGE LONG PROUD OF TAMMANY TIES in NYT on August 3, 1938 (subscription required)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Salvatore A. Cotillo |
New York State Senate (20th District) 1919–1920 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by Thomas C. T. Crain |
New York County District Attorney 1934–1937 |
Succeeded by Thomas E. Dewey |
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