Thomas Hale Boggs Jr. (September 18, 1940 – September 15, 2014) was an American lawyer and

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

based in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Biography

Boggs was the son of Thomas Hale Boggs (1914–1972), a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district Louisiana's 2nd congressional district contains nearly all of the city of New Orleans and stretches west and north to Baton Rouge. The district is currently represented by Democrat Troy Carter. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+25, ...

, and

Lindy Boggs Marie Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs (March 13, 1916 – July 27, 2013) was a politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and later as United States Ambassador to the Holy See. She was the first woman elected to Cong ...

(1916–2013), her husband's successor in the 2nd congressional district and thereafter U.S. Ambassador to the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

under U.S. President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

. His siblings included journalist and news commentator

Cokie Roberts Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne "Cokie" Roberts (née Boggs; December 27, 1943 – September 17, 2019) was an American journalist and author. Her career included decades as a political reporter and analyst for National Public Radio, PBS, ...

(1943–2019) and

Barbara Boggs Sigmund Barbara Boggs Sigmund (May 27, 1939 – October 10, 1990) was an American writer, Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician, and civic leader. She served as a Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County Freeholder and mayor of the Boro ...

(1939–1990), who served as the mayor of

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

Lobbying career

Boggs, 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 ...

, began his legal practice in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

and later moved to Washington, D.C., to become a lawyer and lobbyist. He joined the law/lobbyist firm of James R. Patton Jr., which today is known as

Squire Patton Boggs Squire Patton Boggs is an international law firm with 42 offices in 20 countries. It was formed in 2014 by the merger of multinational law firm Squire Sanders with Washington, D.C. based Patton Boggs. It is one of the 30 largest law firms in the ...

. Boggs was the firm's senior partner. With Patton Boggs, he was known for lobbying on major issues, including: * Repealing the Glass-Steagall Act on behalf of the

American Bankers Association The American Bankers Association (ABA) is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association for the U.S. banking industry, founded in 1875. They lobby for banks of all sizes and charters, including community banks, regional and money center banks, sav ...

Adam Bernstein
"Lobbyist, lawyer Thomas H. Boggs Jr. dead at 73"
(obituary), ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', September 15, 2014. * Litigation against

Chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...

for environmental issues in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

* The $1.5 billion federal bailout of

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

in 1979 Boggs represented dozens of corporations,

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. An industry tra ...

s, and state and foreign governments. In 2013, ''

The American Lawyer ''The American Lawyer'' is a monthly legal magazine and website published by ALM Media. The periodical and its parent company, ALM (then American Lawyer Media), were founded in 1979 by Steven Brill.The National Law Journal ''The National Law Journal'' (NLJ) is an American legal periodical founded in 1978. The NLJ was created by Jerry Finkelstein, who envisioned it as a "sibling newspaper" of the ''New York Law Journal''. Originally a tabloid-sized weekly newspape ...

'' termed him one of the most influential lawyers in the nation.

Political campaign

In 1970, Boggs unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives from

Maryland's 8th congressional district Maryland's 8th congressional district stretches from the northern Washington, D. C., suburbs north to the Pennsylvania border. Following the 2020 redistricting cycle, it will no longer reach north into Frederick and Carroll counties, instead b ...

against incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Gilbert Gude Gilbert Gude (March 9, 1923 – June 7, 2007) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 8th congressional district from 1967 to 1977. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early life and career Gude was b ...

.Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives
"Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1970," p. 14 (retrieved on Sep 18, 2014).

Death and legacy

Boggs died of an apparent heart attack September 15, 2014, three days before his 74th birthday. He is interred at the historic

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

in Washington, D.C. Former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

John Breaux John Berlinger Breaux (; born March 1, 1944) is an American lobbyist, attorney, and retired politician who was a member of the United States Senate from Louisiana from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives fr ...

of Louisiana, who worked for Boggs' firm after leaving the Senate in 2005, said: "He was one of the smartest men I’ve ever known and one who had an abiding commitment to seeing how government works and explaining it to others."

References

External links

* *CNN Saturday Morning News
"Novak Zone: Interview with Tommy Boggs"
November 29, 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Boggs, Thomas Hale Jr. 1940 births 2014 deaths American lobbyists Georgetown University Law Center alumni Lawyers from New Orleans Maryland Democrats People from Bethesda, Maryland People from Chevy Chase, Maryland Lawyers from Washington, D.C. Georgetown Preparatory School alumni Boggs family Claiborne family 20th-century American lawyers People associated with Squire Patton Boggs