Charles J. Margiotti
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Charles Joseph Margiotti (April 9, 1891August 25, 1956) was a nationally prominent
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
lawyer who twice served as state attorney general.


Background

Margiotti was born the son of Joseph and Fortunata Recca Margiotti. His undergraduate education was at the
Indiana Normal School Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public research university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As of fall 2021, the university enrolled 7,044 undergraduates and 1,865 postgraduates, for a total enrollment of 9,009 students. The unive ...
(1912), and his law school education was at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
(1915).


Career

In 1934, Margiotti ran for the Republican nomination for state governor and lost to Attorney General
William A. Schnader William A. Schnader (October 5, 1886March 18, 1968) was Attorney General of Pennsylvania and co-founder of the law firm Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis. Schnader graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in 1908. After earning a law degree ...
. He then switched parties and successfully supported George Earle, who then appointed him as Schnader's successor as attorney general. In 1935, Margiotti was appointed state attorney general by Earle. Margiotti prosecuted a number of graft cases involving Earle's administration. Margiotti himself was accused of arranging excessive tax collection fees for his own law firm and sued ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' for libel over their coverage. In 1938, Margiotti ran for the Democratic nomination for state governor. He campaigned on the issue that the Earle administration was corrupt, and Earle dismissed him. Margiotti lost the nomination to
Charles Alvin Jones Charles Alvin Jones (August 27, 1887 – May 22, 1966) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Education and career Born on August 27, ...
. This time, Margiotti did not switch parties. In September 1948, Margiotti joined former CIO general counsel
Lee Pressman Lee Pressman (July 1, 1906 – November 20, 1969) was a labor attorney and earlier a US government functionary, publicly alleged in 1948 to have been a spy for Soviet intelligence during the mid-1930s (as a member of the Ware Group), following hi ...
in testing the campaign-expenditures provision of the Taft-Hartley Act. Pressman and Margiotti each received $37,500 for their services – a fee CIO President
Philip Murray Philip Murray (May 25, 1886 – November 9, 1952) was a Scottish-born steelworker and an American labor leader. He was the first president of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC), the first president of the United Steelworkers of ...
called "outrageous, even for
Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...
". In 1950, Margiotti was appointed again as state attorney general by Republican Governor Jim Duff, a personal friend. The incoming 1951 governor, Republican John Fine, in submitting his Cabinet nominees for approval to the
General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
, left the attorney general position blank, as he intending to retain Margiotti without giving the General Assembly a chance to reject him. The Democrats responded by blocking all Cabinet appointments in protest against Margiotti, and after a six-week standoff, Margiotti resigned.


Prominent cases

Margiotti was the prosecutor in the murder trial of
Irene Schroeder Irene Schroeder (February 17, 1909 – February 23, 1931) was an American criminal who became the first woman to be electrocuted in Pennsylvania and the fourth woman to be executed by electrocution in the United States. She was given several nickna ...
. Margiotti successfully defended Senator
James J. Davis James John Davis (October 27, 1873November 22, 1947) was a Wales, Welsh-born American businessman, author and Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He served as United States Secre ...
, who had been accused of running a lottery by mail on behalf of the
Loyal Order of Moose The Loyal Order of Moose is a fraternal and service organization founded in 1888 and headquartered in Mooseheart, Illinois. Moose International supports the operation of Mooseheart Child City & School, a community for children and teen ...
. Margiotti successfully defended federal judge Albert Williams Johnson and others who had been accused of conspiracy to sell justice.


References


Further reading

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External links

* Pennsylvania historical marker, identifying his cemetery * {{DEFAULTSORT:Margiotti, Charles Joseph 1891 births 1956 deaths People from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Pennsylvania Attorneys General Pennsylvania Republicans Pennsylvania Democrats 20th-century American politicians American people of Italian descent