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, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 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, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from

Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College. Saint Joseph's is the seventh olde ...

(then known as Saint Joseph's College) in 1952. He received his LL.B. degree from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and olde ...

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-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, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

leaders to run against incumbent Republican District Attorney Arlen Specter. 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'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, 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 Univ ...

. 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), branded on-air as 6 ABC, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station ...

'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 unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Middle Township in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States.

, 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'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

''.

Portrayal in the media

In the 2019 film ''

The Irishman ''The Irishman'' (subtitled onscreen as ''I Heard You Paint Houses'') is a 2019 American epic gangster film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese and written by Steven Zaillian, based on the 2004 nonfiction book '' I Heard You Paint Hou ...

'', Fitzpatrick is portrayed by

Stephen Mailer Stephen McLeod Mailer (born March 10, 1966) is an American stage and screen actor. His credits include appearances in films like ''Cry-Baby'', ''Baby Mama'', and '' Another Woman'' and the television shows ''Gilmore Girls'', '' Law & Order: Speci ...

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