Frank D. Comerford
Frank D. Comerford (1879–1929) was an American judge,
Biography
Early years
Frank D. Comerford was born in September 25, 1879 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of Isaac Comerford, a tradesman.[1]
Comerford was a graduate of
Election and expulsion
The 24-year-old Comerford was elected to the
Although only a member of the Illinois legislature for a few weeks, Comerford made a public speech at the
The Illinois legislature reacted forcefully, quickly passing a resolution which asserted Comerford was spreading "assertions, slanders, insinuations and incriminations" which called into question "the honor and integrity of the Illinois General Assembly."[3] A special committee of the Illinois House of Representatives was hastily established and convened, which took extensive testimony before declaring Comerford's allegations to be unfounded.[2]
On Wednesday, February 8, 1905, the report of the special committee was made before the House and Comerford was called before the bar to show cause as to why he should not be expelled for the accusations which he had levied.[2] Comerford waived the right to a delay for preparation of a defense, instead choosing to deliver an impassioned speech lasting more than an hour, in which he defended the veracity of his charges and severely criticized the investigative committee for the limitations it placed upon his testimony.[2] A vote on Comerford's expulsion immediately followed and the newly elected Senator was expelled by a vote of 121 to 13.[2][4]
Following his expulsion, a special election was held in the 2nd Senate District to replace Comerford. Unbowed by his previous experience, Comerford ran for the seat again — this time as an independent — and was re-elected by his constituents.[1] He was unsuccessful in an effort to win re-election in the 1906 election, however. [1]
Tenure as police attorney and pursuits of higher office
After losing re-election, he accepted a position as police attorney of Chicago under Democratic mayor Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne.[1]
Comerford ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary of the 1912 Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial election, placing a narrow second.
In 1914 the reform Democrat Comerford tested the water with a view of making himself a candidate for the United States Senate.[5] The Democratic party came together around Cook County Democratic Party boss Roger C. Sullivan, however, and Comerford ultimately decided against running for office in the primary.[1]
Following the end of the Dunne administration in January 1917, Comerford left government service to launch a private attorney practice.
Anti-Communist author
In 1919, following the termination of the war, Comerford traveled to London and Paris for six months, where he examined that rapidly changing social and political situation at first hand and contributed news accounts to the
Comerford vehemently advocated the acceptance by the United States of the proposed League of Nations, noting Bolshevik opposition to the concept and charging that "the failure to establish a League of Nations would be a world tragedy and in its wake may come revolution."[10]
Comerford's political views and legal expertise made him a logical choice as the special prosecutor in the 1920 case of William Bross Lloyd and members of the Communist Labor Party of America.[1] Comerford won convictions of the defendants in that case, who included millionaire heir to the Chicago Tribune fortune William Bross Lloyd, despite the best efforts of defense attorney Clarence Darrow.[11]
Election as judge
In June 1926, Comerford was elected to the bench as a Superior Court judge in Chicago.[1]
Comerford was twice married — first from 1915 to 1921 to the former Jean Cowgill and then to Lyela Brandeis, widow of an Omaha, Nebraska merchant.[1]
Death and legacy
In the afternoon of August 29, 1929, Frank Comerford complained of chest pain while at the Chicago home of his brother.[1] Two of his nephews, both medical doctors, were summoned, but neither found anything obviously wrong, however, and he was not hospitalized.[1] At 8:55 pm, Comerford was stricken by a massive heart attack while still being attended by one of his nephews.[1] Comerford died five minutes later. He was 49.[1]
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Judge Comerford Dies; Heart Attack: Death Comes Unexpectedly; 49 Years Old," Chicago Tribune, Aug. 30, 1929; pp. 1, 4.
- ^ a b c d e Associated Press, "Expel Senator for Libeling Them: Illinois Solons Repudiate Bribery Charges," Los Angeles Herald, vol. 32, no. 131 (Feb. 9, 1905), pg. 1.
- ^ a b c "Standing in Judgment: Derrick Smith, Meet Frank D. Comerford," Chicago Tribune, Aug. 16, 2012.
- ^ "Expel Senator For Libeling Them, Los Angeles Herald" (PDF). chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. February 9, 1905.
- ^ Richard Allen Morton, "A Man of Belial": Roger C. Sullivan, the Progressive Democracy, and the Senatorial Elections of 1914," Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, vol. 91, no. 3 (Autumn 1998), pg. 143.
- ^ Frank Comerford, The New World. New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1920; pp. 133-134.
- ^ Comerford, The New World, pg. 135.
- ^ Comerford, The New World, pg. 151.
- ^ Comerford, The New World, pg. 153.
- ^ Comerford, The New World, pg. 60.
- ^ For Darrow's closing speech to the jury in the case, see Clarence Darrow, Argument of Clarence Darrow in the Case of the Communist Labor Party in the Criminal Court, Chicago. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr and Co., 1920.
Works
- Plea of Frank Comerford in Defense of Carl E. Person's Life: Made at Lincoln, Illinois, October Fourth, Nineteen Hundred Fourteen. Chicago: Person Defense League of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, 1915.
- The New World. New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1920.