Los Angeles County District Attorneys – Crooks and reformers – Part 1

November 7, 12:36 PMLA History ExaminerCharles Nichols

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Buron Fitts - Notoriously Corrupt LA District Attorney

 In the last 100 years, Los Angeles County District Attorneys typically fell into one of two categories; Crook or Reformer.

Thomas Lee Woolwine was the DA from 1915-1923.  He was typical of the Reform politicians of the period.  Un-bribable, anti-liquor, anti-gambling and anti-prostitution.  An opponent of the Ku Klux Klan, he indicted 35 Klansmen but failed to convict any of them on charges of assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to commit murder.

His handpicked successor, Asa Keyes 1923-1928 seemed to start off as a fellow reformer but was convicted of bribery and sent to prison shortly after he left office in February of 1929.

Keyes successor was the same man who prosecuted him for bribery, Buron Fitts 1928-1940.  Fitts was never one to turn down a significant bribe, even when it involved a child prostitution ring.  After all, this was the depression and times were hard.  Fitts also turned a blind eye to the death squad the Los Angeles City Police Chief James Davis had formed.  Fitts and his sister, who worked as his secretary, were both indicted on bribery charges for dropping the statutory rape charges against his friend and real estate developer John Mills who allegedly had a penchant for deflowering underage virgins.  Fitts was acquitted and the charges against his sister were dismissed.

For a very brief three year period 1940-1943, the District Attorney’s office was in the hands of an honest man John Dockweiler, no doubt much to the surprise of the inhabitants of Los Angeles.  He cracked down on corruption in the District Attorney’s office, ended the patronage system of handing out investigator jobs in return for political favors, and was pursing allegations of police brutality when he suddenly died of pneumonia.

Fred Howser filled the next three years 1943-1946 performing a Kafkaesque kabuki dance with the police claiming that widespread gambling and prostitution existed in the city because of bribe taking by the police (which was true) at the same time Howser reportedly took a $50,000 bribe.  He was never indicted.  Instead, he was recruited by legendary California lobbyist Artie Samish to run for Attorney General.  Noting the similarity between Howser’s name and that of the popular Lieutenant Governor Fred Houser, Samish correctly concluded that California voters would vote for Howser thinking they were voting for Houser.  Howser won the election.  You don’t think California voters were any brighter 60 years ago than they are now do you?

William Simpson (1946-1951) was an otherwise unremarkable DA who remarkably was unable to convict a Los Angeles Police officer for beating a drunk to death on a Los Angeles street car.

Other than appearing on television, Silas Roll 1951-1956 left no legacy to write about.  

William B. McKesson (1956-1964) was remarkable in that he took no bribes and forced a judge to resign from office who had been trading leniency for sex from attractive female defendants.  He had also appeared in one of those campy 1950s era films for teenagers the “Terrible Truth, “warning about the dangers of drug use.  Roll and McKesson mark the beginning of the television age District Attorneys.

In part 2 we will take a tour of the Los Angeles district Attorneys beginning with Evelle Younger (1964-1971) the first “modern” Los Angeles County District Attorney.

Further reading:

 http://www.examiner.com/x-26553-LA-History-Examiner~y2009m10d14-LAPDs-Death-Squad