Jerome F. O'Neill (September 24, 1946 – December 3, 2023) was an American attorney from the state of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. He is most notable for his service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for Vermont (1973–1975), First Assistant U.S. Attorney (1975–1981), and United States Attorney (1981).

Early life

Jerome F. O'Neill was born in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

, on September 24, 1946, a son of Phyllis (Chagnon) O'Neill and Frederick A. O'Neill, a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer and inspector for the

Immigration and Naturalization Service The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was a United States federal government agency under the United States Department of Labor from 1933 to 1940 and under the United States Department of Justice from 1940 to 2003. Refe ...

. O'Neill's relatives included his uncle Edward J. O'Neill, a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in the U.S. Army. O'Neill was raised in Swanton and attended St. Anne's Academy, from which he graduated in 1964. O'Neill began attendance at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

in the fall of 1964, and he received his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in foreign trade in 1968. While in college, O'Neill took part in the

Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC; or ) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches o ...

program and served as secretary of the

Scabbard and Blade Scabbard and Blade (S&B) is an American collegiate military honor society founded at the University of Wisconsin in 1904. It was founded as a men's organization and later became a co-educational society. Membership is for Reserve Officers' Traini ...

Society. After college, O'Neill began attendance at

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

, from which he received his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

in 1971. He was admitted to the bar in the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

in 1971. O'Neill served in the U.S. Army from 1971 to 1972 and attained the rank of

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

Career

After his military service, O'Neill was a law clerk in 1972 for Judge Sylvia Bacon of the

Superior Court of the District of Columbia The Superior Court of the District of Columbia, commonly referred to as DC Superior Court, is the trial court for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It hears cases involving Criminal justice, criminal, Civil law (common law), civi ...

. From 1972 to 1973, he was a law clerk for Judge

Albert Wheeler Coffrin Albert Wheeler Coffrin (December 21, 1919 – January 13, 1993) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont. Education and career Born in Burlington, Vermont, Coffrin received an Artium Bac ...

of the U.S. District Court for Vermont. In 1973, O'Neill was appointed an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Vermont District Court and was based in

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

. In 1975, he was promoted to First Assistant U.S. Attorney, and in 1976 he relocated to Burlington to establish the U.S. Attorney's office there. He served as first assistant until May 1981, when he was appointed to succeed William B. Gray as United States Attorney for the District of Vermont. He served until October, and was succeeded by George W. F. Cook. After leaving the U.S. Attorney's office, O'Neill resided in Burlington and practiced law as the senior partner of the Burlington firm that included

Geoffrey W. Crawford Geoffrey William Crawford (born July 20, 1954) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont and former associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. Biography Crawford was born in 1954 ...

and eventually became O’Neill, Kellner & Green. He subsequently became

of counsel Of counsel is the title of an attorney in the legal profession of the United States who often has a relationship with a law firm or an organization but is neither an associate nor partner. Some firms use titles such as "counsel", "special couns ...

at Burlington's Gravel & Shea.

Death

O'Neill died from cancer on December 3, 2023, at the age of 77.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ONeill, Jerome 1946 births 2023 deaths People from Swanton (town), Vermont People from Burlington, Vermont Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni United States Army officers Vermont lawyers Assistant United States attorneys United States attorneys for the District of Vermont 20th-century American lawyers Deaths from cancer in Vermont