T. Vincent Quinn

Thomas Vincent Quinn (March 16, 1903 – March 1, 1982) was an American jurist and politician from New York. He served as an assistant Attorney General and was elected to one term in the United States House of Representatives. He left Congress to become the Queens County District Attorney and was defeated for re-election after being indicted on Federal corruption charges. He was not convicted and was later appointed as a criminal court judge.

Thomas Vincent Quinn
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 5th district
In office
January 3, 1949 – December 31, 1951
Preceded byRobert Tripp Ross
Succeeded byRobert Tripp Ross
Personal details
Born(1903-03-16)March 16, 1903
Long Island City, New York, U.S.
DiedMarch 1, 1982(1982-03-01) (aged 78)
Venice, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materFordham University School of Law
OccupationAttorney

Early life and career

T. Vincent Quinn was born in Long Island City, New York on March 16, 1903. He attended schools in Queens, graduated from William Cullen Bryant High School, and received his LL.B. degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1924.[1][2]

Quinn practiced in New York City. Active in the Democratic Party, he served as Assistant District Attorney of Queens County from September 1931 to August 1934. From 1934 to 1947 he was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and he twice served as Acting U.S. Attorney.[3]

Political career

In July 1947 Quinn was appointed by President Harry Truman as an Assistant United States Attorney General for the Criminal Division and was confirmed in September. In the post, he worked on the post-war cases of World War II propagandists Iva Toguri D'Aquino, better known as Tokyo Rose and Robert Henry Best.[4]

After 13 months at the Justice Department, Quinn resigned in August 1948 to run for Congress from New York's 5th congressional district.[5][6] In the 1948 election, Quinn defeated freshman Republican Robert Tripp Ross. He defeated Ross in a rematch in 1950; but ran successfully for Queens County’s District Attorney in 1951 and resigned from Congress in December.

Criminal Charges

In 1953, Quinn and his former law partners were indicted for allegedly enabling Quinn to accept legal fees for advising clients with business before the federal government while he was serving in Congress, and taking steps to conceal this activity.[7][8] Despite the charges and the Queens Democratic Party’s refusal to endorse him, he ran for re-election as district attorney in 1955 with former state Senator Frank D. O'Connor challenging him in the Democratic primary. O’Connor prevailed by 1,452 votes after a recount.[9] Quinn and his associates were acquitted on some charges in 1956. The judge ruled that prosecutors had presented no evidence that Quinn was aware the legal fees in question were from cases that took place during his time in Congress.[4] In 1957, the remaining charges were dismissed.[10][11]

Later career

In 1957, Quinn was appointed to the New York City Magistrates' Court. He served as a magistrate until 1962, when the court was merged with the New York City Criminal Court. After the merger Quinn was a Judge on the criminal court until retiring in September 1972.[12]

Personal life

In retirement Quinn resided in Venice, Florida, where he died on March 1, 1982.[13][14][15]

References
  1. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, The International Teamster, Volume 45, Issues 9-46, 1948, page 56
  2. Fordham University School of Law Alumni, The Fordham Advocate, Vol. 1., No. 2, December 17, 1951, page 3
  3. Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Quinn Succeeds Carrol as Aide To U. S. Attorney, August 28, 1934
  4. "T. Vincent Quinn". United States Department of Justice. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  5. El Paso Herald Post, Newspaper Reveals Story Behind Story of Commie Spies, August 5, 1948
  6. United Press, Toledo Blade, Justice Department Official Resigns: Campbell to Enter Indiana Senator Race, December 20, 1949
  7. Associated Press, Daytona Beach Morning Journal, Indicted twice on Tax Fee Charges, January 10, 1953
  8. Salt Lake Tribune, Ex-Solon Tells Of Aid to Tax Clients, April 5, 1952
  9. "Queens Recount is Lost by Quinn". New York Times. 1955-10-18.
  10. Gloversville Republican, Quinn Indicted For Accepting Illegal Tax Fees, January 10, 1953
  11. Syracuse Post-Standard, Ex-Congressman Free in Fee Case, April 26, 1956
  12. Joseph Giardini, Long Island Star-Journal, Political Roundup, April 24, 1957
  13. Florida Death Index, 1877-1998, entry for T. Vincent Quinn, retrieved April 24, 2014
  14. U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, entry for T. Vincent Quinn, retrieved April 24, 2014
  15. New York Times, Death Announcements, 1851-2003, entry for T. Vincent Quinn, March 3, 1982
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