Joseph A. Bevilacqua Sr.

Bevilacqua grew up in Silver Lake, an Italian-American neighborhood of Providence.[1] He attended Providence public schools and received a Bachelor of Arts from Providence College in 1940.[2][3] He served in the Army from 1941 to 1946, achieving the rank of First Lieutenant and serving in the Italian Campaign (World War II) where he was wounded and received a Purple Heart.[3] He received a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown Law School in 1948,[3] and his clients and friends included organized crime figures.[4]

Bevilacqua was elected to the Rhode Island House in 1954;[5] he became majority leader in 1966 and Speaker in 1969.[5] He worked for the passage of the state's medicare statute and for job retraining measures.[2] He was elected by the General Assembly as Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court in 1976,[5] and he promised to put aside "old friendships and causes."[4] Privately, however, he reassured mobster Nicholas Bianco: "Don't worry, I'll still keep my connections."[1]

Around this time, a number of allegations surfaced regarding Bevilacqua's ties to organized crime. The New York Times stated that allegations had been made in 1976 that he had harbored a fugitive from a 1963 department store robbery, and had accepted a payment of $2,000 from him.[5] It also became public that he had written a letter to the State Parole Board in 1973 vouching for the integrity of crime boss Raymond L. S. Patriarca.[1][5] The letter read, "To whom it may concern: I have known Mr. Patriarca for a good many years. I have found him to be a good person of integrity and, in my opinion, good moral character."[1] Bevilacqua officiated at the wedding of Patriarca's chauffeur, who was under indictment for fraud.[5] The State Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline investigated these incidents and took no action.[5]

The Providence Journal brought public attention to Bevilacqua's ties to organized crime figures in 1984.[5] State police officers followed him as he visited the homes of crime figures,[5] and he was also observed frequenting a mob-connected motel for mid-day trysts with women.[5] The Journal ran a front-page photo of him zipping his pants fly while leaving the Alpine Motel in Smithfield, Rhode Island.[1]

A judicial commission headed by former Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg censured Bevilacqua for associating with criminals.[5] The General Assembly began impeachment proceedings in 1986, the first such proceedings in the state's history,[1] but Bevilacqua resigned during the proceedings.[5][1]

Bevilacqua was hospitalized several times in his last few months, including for a heart attack in early May 1989.[4][5] He was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital on May 30, 1989 and died there on June 21.[4][5] He is buried in Saint Ann Cemetery in Cranston, Rhode Island.

• Joseph A. Bevilacqua Sr. at Find a Grave