George Beall (attorney)

George Beall
United States Attorney for the District of Maryland
In office
June 1, 1970 – March 31, 1975
PresidentRichard M. Nixon
Gerald R. Ford
Preceded byStephen H. Sachs
Succeeded byJervis S. Finney
Personal details
Born
George Beall VIII

(1937-08-17)August 17, 1937
Frostburg, Maryland
DiedJanuary 15, 2017(2017-01-15) (aged 79)
Naples, Florida
Spouses
Linda Jenkins
​
​
(m. 1961, divorced)​
Nancy Roche
​
​
(m. 1965, divorced)​
Carolyn Campbell
​
(m. 1980)​
Children1
Parent
RelativesJ. Glenn Beall Jr. (brother)
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
University of Virginia (LLB)
OccupationAttorney, prosecutor
Known forCriminal prosecution of Spiro T. Agnew

George Beall VIII (August 17, 1937 – January 15, 2017) was a prominent U.S. attorney. While serving as United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, he prosecuted Vice President of the United States Spiro Agnew for bribery.[1] This prosecution ultimately led to Agnew's resignation as Vice President in 1973.[1]

Background[edit]

Beall was born in Frostburg, Maryland, on August 17, 1937, a son of James Glenn Beall and Margaret (Schwarzenbach) Beall.[1] His siblings included John Glenn Beall Jr.[2][1]

Beall received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in 1959; and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law,[1] in 1963. His first two marriages, to Linda Jenkins in 1961 and Nancy Roche in 1965, ended in divorces.[3][4] In 1980, he married Carolyn Campbell.[4] He died in Naples, Florida, on January 15, 2017.[1]

Career[edit]

After clerking for Chief Judge Simon E. Sobeloff of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Beall became a trial lawyer for a Maryland law firm.[5] In 1968, Spiro Agnew, the Governor of Maryland at the time, appointed Beall, a fellow Republican, to the Maryland Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.[6][1]

Beall was appointed United States attorney in June 1970,[1] initially on an interim basis.[7] Though he had never prosecuted a single case, Beall proved to be, in the words of his predecessor, a "tough act to follow" as United States Attorney for the District of Maryland:[3] among other cases and investigations, he indicted and prosecuted Arthur Bremer for the shooting of presidential candidate, and Governor of Alabama, George Wallace; as well as a state legislator turned drug dealer; and Spiro Agnew, by then the Vice President of the United States.[4]

Agnew investigation[edit]

Two years after Beall took office, he opened an investigation into corruption in Baltimore County of public officials and architects, engineers, and paving contractors.[1] One contractor, Lester Matz, stated that he had been paying "Agnew kickbacks in exchange for contracts for years — first when Agnew was the Baltimore County Executive, then when he was Governor of Maryland and Vice President."[1] Another witness, Jerome B. Wolff, head of Maryland's roads commission, stated that his attic was filled with documentation that detailed "every corrupt payment he participated in with then-Governor Agnew."[1]

Despite being pressured by the White House and his brother (now a senator), Beall continued to allow his investigators to continue their work.[8] Agnew resigned as Vice President and pleaded no contest to tax evasion in the sum of $13,551.47 for 1967.[1] He was fined $10,000 and avoided prison time.[1]

Private practice[edit]

Beall resigned on March 31, 1975,[9] and returned to private practice, specializing in commercial litigation.[1] His clients included the Baltimore Ravens while owned by Art Modell.[1]

In 1978, he worked as campaign chairman for his brother's failed run for Governor of Maryland.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Sandomir, Richard (18 January 2017). "George Beall, Prosecutor Who Brought Down Agnew, Dies at 79". New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  2. ^ Cannon, James M. (1998). Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment with History. University of Michigan Press. p. 184. ISBN 0-472-08482-8.
  3. ^ a b Gelder, Lawrence Van (1973-08-08). "Federal Prosecutor for Maryland George Beall". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  4. ^ a b c Barnes, Bart (2017-01-18). "George Beall, who led prosecution of Vice President Spiro Agnew, dies at 79". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  5. ^ Darby, Albert D. (1970-06-02). "U.S. Attorney Worked One Summer In Court". The Cumberland News. p. 16. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  6. ^ "Countians Given State Board Jobs By Agnew". Cumberland Evening Times. 1968-10-07. p. 9. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  7. ^ Hendricks, Theodore W. (1970-05-13). "The Interim U.S. Attorney Bench Names Beall To Be". The Baltimore Sun. p. 13. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  8. ^ "Transcript - Episode 4: Turn It off". NBC News.
  9. ^ Day, James P. (1975-03-31). "George Beall Leaving Office—His Priceless Experience". The Evening Sun. p. 19. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  10. ^ Becker, Elizabeth (1978-09-05). "Beall Now GOP Front-Runner in Md". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2019-09-24.

External links[edit]

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