Thomas Frederick Fay (October 13, 1940 – January 31, 2020) was the chief justice of the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by the Judicial No ...

from 1986 to 1993. Born in

Central Falls, Rhode Island Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,583 at the 2020 census. With an area of only , it is the smallest and most densely populated city in the smallest state, and the 27th most densely ...

, and raised in

Lincoln, Rhode Island Lincoln is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,529 at the 2020 census. Lincoln is located in northeastern Rhode Island, north of Providence. Lincoln is part of the Providence metropolitan statistical are ...

, Fay received a law degree from

Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...

in 1965. He entered the private practice of law, and in 1968 was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected t ...

, where he became chair of the House Judiciary Committee. In May 1978, Governor

J. Joseph Garrahy John Joseph Garrahy (November 26, 1930 – January 24, 2012), known to Rhode Islanders as J. Joseph Garrahy or just "Joe", was an American politician. He served as the 69th Governor of Rhode Island from 1977 to 1985. Early life Garrahy was born ...

appointed Fay to the Rhode Island Family Court. In 1986, the chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, Joseph A. Bevilacqua Sr., was the subject of an impeachment investigation for ties to the mob and he submitted his resignation in May effective June 30, 1986. The state legislature elected Fay to succeed Bevilacqua on July 3, 1986. In 1993, Chief Supreme Court Justice Fay faced allegations of abusing his office to benefit himself and his allies in business and politics, and he resigned on October 9, 1993. Later that year, he pled guilty to two felony charges and two misdemeanor charges of unethical conduct. Fay married Paulette Demers, with whom he remained for 54 years until his death, and with whom he had a daughter and a son. Fay died in

Cumberland, Rhode Island Cumberland is the northeasternmost town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, first settled in 1635 and incorporated in 1746. The population was 36,405 at the 2020 census, making it the seventh-largest municipality and the largest t ...

, at the age of 79.

References

1940 births 2020 deaths People from Central Falls, Rhode Island Boston University School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court {{US-state-judge-stub