Charles J. Margiotti

Charles Joseph Margiotti (April 9, 1891 – August 25, 1956) was a nationally prominent[1] Pennsylvania lawyer who twice served as state Attorney General.

Charles Joseph Margiotti
1937 photograph
Attorney General of Pennsylvania
In office
July 5, 1950 – March 2, 1951
GovernorJames H. Duff
Preceded byT. McKeen Chidsey
Succeeded byRobert E. Woodside
In office
January 15, 1935 – April 27, 1938
GovernorGeorge Howard Earle III
Preceded byWilliam A. Schnader
Succeeded byGuy K. Bard
Personal details
Born(1891-04-09)April 9, 1891
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
DiedAugust 25, 1956(1956-08-25) (aged 65)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Alma mater

Background

Margiotti was born the son of Joseph and Fortunata Recca Margiotti. His undergraduate education was at the Indiana Normal School (1912), and his law school education was at the University of Pennsylvania (1915).[2]

Career

In 1934, Margiotti ran for the Republican nomination for state governor and lost to Attorney General William A. Schnader. He then switched parties and successfully supported George Earle, who then appointed him as Schnader's successor as Attorney General.

In 1935, Margiotti was appointed state Attorney General by Earle. Margiotti prosecuted a number of graft cases involving Earle's administration.[3] Margiotti himself was accused of arranging excessive tax collection fees for his own law firm and sued The Philadelphia Inquirer for libel over their coverage.[4]

In 1938, Margiotti ran for the Democratic nomination for state governor.[3] He campaigned on the issue that the Earle administration was corrupt, and Earle dismissed him. Margiotti lost the nomination to Charles Alvin Jones. This time, Margiotti did not switch parties.[5]

In September 1948, Margiotti joined former CIO general counsel Lee Pressman in testing the campaign-expenditures provision of the Taft-Hartley Act. Pressman and Margiotti each received $37,500 for their services – a fee CIO President Philip Murray called "outrageous, even for Standard Oil."[6]

In 1950, Margiotti was appointed again as state Attorney General by Republican Governor Jim Duff, a personal friend. The incoming 1951 governor, Republican John Fine, in submitting his Cabinet nominees for approval to the General Assembly, left the Attorney General position blank, as he intending to retain Margiotti without giving the General Assembly a chance to reject him. The Democrats responded by blocking all Cabinet appointments in protest against Margiotti, and after a six-week standoff, Margiotti resigned.[7][5]

Prominent cases

Margiotti was the prosecutor in the murder trial of Irene Schroeder.[1][8]

Margiotti successfully defended Senator James J. Davis, who had been accused of running a lottery by mail on behalf of the Loyal Order of Moose.[1][9]

Margiotti successfully defended federal judge Albert Williams Johnson and others who had been accused of conspiracy to sell justice.[1][10]

References
  1. "C. J. Margiotti, 65, Lawyer, is Dead". New York Times. August 26, 1956. p. 85.
  2. The Pennsylvania Manual, 1935–36. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 1936.
  3. "In Pennsylvania Race for the Governorship". New York Times. February 16, 1938. p. 11.
  4. "Grill Margiotti Four Hours in Libel Trial". Chicago Daily Tribune. February 13, 1936. p. 20.
  5. Beers 2010, p. 146.
  6. "National Affairs: Never Again". TIME. 20 September 1948. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  7. "Margiotti Offers to Quit; Pennsylvania Attorney General Cause of Cabinet Block". New York Times. February 25, 1951. p. 43.
  8. Beers 2010, p. 145.
  9. "United States v. Davis". www.leagle.com. Leagle, Inc. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  10. "United States v. Johnson". www.leagle.com. Leagle, Inc. Retrieved 2015-06-10.

Further reading
Legal offices
Preceded by
William A. Schnader		 Pennsylvania Attorney General
1935–1938		 Succeeded by
Guy K. Bard
Preceded by
T. McKeen Chidsey		 Pennsylvania Attorney General
1950–1951		 Succeeded by
Robert E. Woodside
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