Frank Smithwick Hogan (January 17, 1902 – April 2, 1974) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served as

New York County District Attorney The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York (state), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New ...

for more than 30 years, during which he achieved a reputation for professionalism and integrity.

Early life and education

Hogan was born in

Waterbury Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...

New Haven County, Connecticut New Haven County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connecticut. Two of the state's top 5 largest cities, New ...

. He studied at and graduated from Columbia College, Columbia University in 1924. At first, Hogan planned on becoming a reporter and studied journalism. He decided to switch his focus to the law and graduated from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1928. Hogan was a member of

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...

fraternity at Columbia.

Career

After law school, he entered into private practice for several years. In 1935, he began in the

's office as an Administrative Assistant District Attorney under

Thomas E. Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...

. In 1941, Dewey announced that he would not seek re-election. He suggested four prosecutors who he believed should succeed him. Although Dewey's list included Hogan's name, his selection surprised Dewey. First Hogan, unlike Dewey, was a registered

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 ...

and his list was meant for the Republicans. In addition, Dewey did not expect the support of

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

for his preferred candidate, after he prosecuted some of their leaders. Not only did Tammany offer its support, but the Republicans and the

American Labor Party The American Labor Party (ALP) was a political party in the United States established in 1936 that was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party of A ...

endorsed Hogan, which guaranteed his election. Thus, he became the new District Attorney on January 1, 1942. During his time in the New York County District Attorney's Office, Hogan conducted many widely publicized investigations. Corruption and racketeering were high on his list. He prosecuted high-profile crime figures

Joseph Lanza Joseph A. "Socks" Lanza (1904 – October 11, 1968) was a New York labor racketeer and a member of the Genovese crime family, who controlled the Fulton Fish Market in Lower Manhattan through the United Seafood Worker's Union local 359 from 1923 ...

Joe Adonis Joseph Anthony Doto (born Giuseppe Antonio Doto, ; November 22, 1902 – November 26, 1971), known as Joe Adonis, was an Italian-American mobster who was an important participant in the formation of the modern Cosa Nostra crime families in New Y ...

and Frank Erickson, as well as corrupt politicians such as Manhattan borough president

Hulan Jack Hulan Edwin Jack (December 29, 1906 – December 19, 1986) was a prominent Saint Lucian-born New York politician who in 1954 became the highest ranking Caribbean American municipal official up until that time, when he was elected Borough Presiden ...

and former deputy city controller Eugene Sugarman. In the late 1950s, his office investigated the rigging of television quiz programs, as well as 'fixed' college basketball games. He prosecuted the well-known Lenny Bruce obscenity case. Another high-profile case involved the exoneration of George Whitmore, Jr. in 1963, after his confession regarding the murder of two women in their upper east side Manhattan apartment was found to be false. In 1949, he considered a run for

Mayor of New York The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

when

William O'Dwyer William O'Dwyer (July 11, 1890November 24, 1964) was an Irish-American politician and diplomat who served as the 100th Mayor of New York City, holding that office from 1946 to 1950. Life and career O'Dwyer was born in Bohola, County Mayo, Ir ...

announced that he would not seek re-election. Hogan ended the campaign after O'Dwyer changed his mind to run again. He decided to run for the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

in 1958 for the seat that

Irving Ives Irving McNeil Ives (January 24, 1896 – February 24, 1962) was an American politician and founding dean of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. A Republican, he served as a United States Senator from New York from ...

was vacating. While Democratic leaders

Averell Harriman William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891July 26, 1986), better known as Averell Harriman, was an American Democratic politician, businessman, and diplomat. The son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman, he served as Secretary of Commerce un ...

and mayor Robert F. Wagner preferred a candidate with a larger statewide profile,

Carmine DeSapio Carmine Gerard DeSapio (December 10, 1908 – July 27, 2004) was an American politician from New York City. He was the last head of the Tammany Hall political machine to dominate municipal politics. Early life and career DeSapio was born in ...

, the head of Tammany Hall pushed Hogan's candidacy. The move backfired on DeSapio with Kenneth B. Keating defeating Hogan and Nelson Rockefeller becoming

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

. In later years, some of assistants criticized his style as being too rigid and old-fashioned and that he may have been in office too long. They cited his prosecution of comedian Lenny Bruce in 1964 and anti-war protestors at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1968. In 1971, Governor Nelson Rockefeller appointed

Maurice Nadjari Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor * Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and L ...

over Hogan and the other New York City district attorneys to lead investigations under the

Knapp Commission The Commission to Investigate Alleged Police Corruption (known informally as the Knapp Commission, after its chairman Whitman Knapp) was a five-member panel initially formed in April 1970 by Mayor John V. Lindsay to investigate corruption wit ...

, which mayor

John Lindsay John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, mayor of New York City, and candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regular ...

established to investigate police corruption. Chairman

Whitman Knapp Percy Whitman Knapp (February 24, 1909 – June 14, 2004) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Previous to that service, he led a far-reaching investigation into corrupti ...

said that Hogan did not properly investigate corruption in the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

leading to Nadjari's appointment. The move left Hogan feeling humiliated and damaged his friendship with Knapp, one of his former assistants. The Knapp fallout and a primary challenge from

William vanden Heuvel William Jacobus vanden Heuvel (April 14, 1930 – June 15, 2021) was an American attorney, businessman, author and diplomat of Belgian descent. He was known for advising Robert F. Kennedy during the latter's campaigns for Senate in 1964 and Pres ...

led to speculation that Hogan would not seek a ninth term in office. However, he surprised observers by running in the 1973 election. Vanden Heuvel's campaign message was that the city needed someone new in the district attorney's office. Several days before the election, the

New York City Bar Association The New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a ...

gave vanden Heuvel an "unqualified" rating, which may have affected his support. In the end, Hogan won with a two-to-one edge in votes.

Personal life

Hogan served on the Board of Trustees of

from 1959 until his death in 1974. He was married to the former Mary Egan. He had surgery for a lung tumor in 1973 and later suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

on August 10, 1973. Citing ill health, he resigned on December 26 and entered the hospital the following day. Governor Malcolm Wilson appointed Richard Kuh to replace him; Kuh would be sworn in on February 13. Hogan died of cancer at St. Luke's Hospital in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

on April 2, 1974.

Legacy

The street address of the main office of the New York County District Attorney is One Hogan Place in his honor.

Hogan Hall Hogan Hall is a dormitory of Columbia University primarily reserved for fourth-year undergraduate students. The dorm is popular for its suite configurations as well as its central location. Built in 1898 as a nursing home, the building was convert ...

, a dormitory at Columbia University, is also named for him.

References

External links